Lakhimpur case: Kheri police takes Ashish Mishra’s custody

So far, the police have arrested four accused, including the Union MoS’s son, his two accomplices Luv Kush and Ashish Pandey, in the Lakhimpur violence case

The Lakhimpur police on Tuesday took custody of Union minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, the main accused in the FIR lodged in connection with the October 3 Kheri violence in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed, for further interrogation, said senior police officials.

So far, the police have arrested four accused, including the Union MoS’s son, his two accomplices Luv Kush and Ashish Pandey, in the Lakhimpur violence case (HT file)

They said Ashish’s accomplice and former union minister the late Akhilesh Das’s nephew Ankit Das, whose name has surfaced in the case, also filed his surrender application in a local court during the day.

The officials said the police, however, arrested Ankit Das’s driver Shekhar Bharati who reportedly was driving the black car behind Mishra’s car that allegedly mowed down four farmers that led to violence in Lakhimpur Kheri’s Tikunia. Four others, including journalist Raman Kashyap, Mishra’s driver Hari Om Mishra and two BJP workers Shyam Sunder and Shubham Mishra, were later killed during the violence.

So far, the police have arrested four accused, including the Union MoS’s son, his two accomplices Luv Kush and Ashish Pandey besides Ankit Das’s driver Shekhar Bharati, in connection with FIR lodged for mowing down the farmers. The police claimed that three other accused, including Mishra’s driver and two BJP workers, were killed during the violence.

Earlier in the day, the police took Ashish Mishra to the crime branch office at reserve police lines in Lakhimpur Kheri for interrogation. Senior prosecution officer SP Yadav on Monday told reporters that a local court in Kheri had allowed his three-day police custody starting on Tuesday morning. The court has put the condition that Ashish Mishra would not be harassed and his lawyer would remain present at a certain distance during interrogation.

Ashish Mishra was earlier questioned for 12 hours by the investigation team headed by deputy inspector general Upendra Agarwal before his arrest on Saturday. Elaborate security arrangements had been made in and around the police lines, Yadav added.

Ashish Mishra was named in an FIR following allegations that he was in one of the vehicles that mowed down four farmers protesting over UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit to Kheri on October 3. Ashish Mishra, 35, looks after the political activities of his father in his Kheri parliamentary constituency and was also vying for party ticket from Kheri’s Nighasan assembly seat to contest polls. (With agency inputs)