Lakhimpur violence: Court rejects discharge applications of Ashish Mishra and others

The court fixed December 6 as the date for framing of charges against the accused in the Lakhimpur violence case of October 3, 2021 that had left eight people dead

LAKHIMPUR KHERI The court of additional district judge I (ADJ-I), Sunil Kumar Verma on Monday, dismissed the discharge applications of 13 people, including minister of state (home) Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son, Ashish Mishra and fixed December 6 as the date for framing of charges against the accused in the Lakhimpur violence case of October 3, 2021 that had left eight people dead.

Ashish is among the 13 accused charge-sheeted in the Tikunia violence case, who had moved their discharge applications before the district sessions court, urging the court to discharge them of the charges against them. (File Photo)

Ashish is among the 13 accused charge-sheeted in the Tikunia violence case, who had moved their discharge applications before the district sessions court, urging the court to discharge them of the charges against them. The other accused were Ankit Das, Nandan Singh Bisht, Satya Prakash Tripathi alias Satyam, Latif alias Kale, Shekhar Bharti, Sumit Jaiswal, Ashish Pandey, Lavkush Rana, Shishu Pal, Ullas Kumar alias Mohit Trivedi, Rinku Rana and Dharmendra Banjara.

District government counsel (criminal) Arvind Tripathi said: “After the hearing on their applications, the court of additional district judge Sunil Kumar Verma dismissed the applications of all 13 accused.”

Tripathi informed that among the 14 accused in FIR number 219, barring one Virendra Shukla, who is charged under Section 201 of the IPC (causing disappearance of evidences), 13 others had been charge-sheeted under IPC Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), 149 (offence committed in prosecution of common object), 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), 302 (murder), 427 (mischief causing damage), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Moreover, Ashish Mishra, Ankit Das, Nandan Singh Bisht, Satyam Tripathi, Latif Kale and Sumit Jaiswal had been charged under various sections of Arms Act, said the DGC.

Meanwhile, in cross-FIR number 220 lodged in connection with Tikunia violence in which four people - Vichitra Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Gurwinder Singh and Kamaljeet Singh – were charge-sheeted, the court of ADJ I Sunil Kumar Verma framed charges against the accused on Monday, said additional district government counsel (ADGC) Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Singh added that the court fixed Dec 15 for prosecution evidences.

On October 3, 2021, violence had erupted in the Tikunia kotwali area of Lakhimpur Kheri amid the agitation of farmers when four farmers and a journalist were allegedly crushed to death by speeding vehicles.

In the ensuing violence, two BJP workers and a driver were lynched to death by the agitated farmers.

Two FIRs were registered at the Tikunia kotwali - number 219 by a farmer and number 220 by Sumit Jaiswal.