Lakhimpur Kheri Highlights: UP Police paste notice outside Union minister Ajay Mishra's residence

On Thursday, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) general secretary SC Mishra met the family of Lovepreet Singh, who was killed in Lakhimpur Kheri violence on Sunday. 

Uttarakhand Congress chief Harish Rawat-led march to Lakhimpur Kheri was stopped in Bareilly by UP Police on Thursday. Congress workers began a sit-in on the spot and tried to proceed ahead but Baheri’s sub-divisional magistrate Ashutosh Gupta and circle officer of police Ajay Gautam didn’t allow them on the pretext of law and order.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Thursday that the Lakhimpur Kheri tragedy, where 8 individuals died, should not be linked to another incident. He made this remark after the opposition BJP accused him of “cheap politics” for approving an ex-gratia of ₹50 lakhs to the families of the deceased. 

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and the party MLAs, cabinet ministers,  and the state Youth Congress president accompanying him on the march to Lakhimpur Kheri were taken into custody at the UP-Haryana border and sent to Sarsawa Air Force station. 

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and the party MLAs accompanying him on their march to Lakhimpur Kheri were taken into custody at Shahjahanpur border. Additional forces have also been deployed to tackle the  situation. 

Lucknow Range IG Lakshimi Singh told reporters that no firearm injury or incidents of firing has been confirmed in Sunday's Lakhimpur Kheri incident. Adding that police “will have to proceed with other evidence that have been given to us” while conducting their investigation, reported ANI.

Haryana-UP border in Kairana of Shamli district was blocked by administration on Thursday to prevent farmers and Congress leaders from entering. District Magistrate Jasjeet Kaur and SP of Shamli Sukirti Madhav are currently camping at the border.

The Congress protest march led by state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was stopped at the Shahjahanpur on UP-Haryana border on Thursday. Tension ran high in the area as a tussle ensued between police forces and the crowd of hundreds of supporters who had gathered in Sidhu's support after the march was stopped. 

Two persons identified as Luvkush Rana and Ashish Pandey have been arrested in connection with the Sunday violence, said a Lakhimpur police official. The official said both Rana and Pandey are close associates of the union home minister Ajai Mishra Teni's son Ashish Mishra. Further raids are on in search of other accused identified so far, the official added. However, the minister's son is still untraceable, the official said. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi returned to Delhi on Thursday afternoon after meeting the family members of those killed in the violent Lakhimpur Kheri incident. Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tried to meet the kin of the two deceased BJP workers in Bahraich but was refused permission by the police.

"I wanted to meet the two families of BJP workers ( who died in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident). I asked the inspector general that I would like to meet them if the families want to...but he straight away told me 'no they don't want to'. Then I said okay they convey my condolences to them," she told reporters.

Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu led Punjab Congress to march to Lakhimpur in Uttar Pradesh today. “If arrests are not made or he (MoS Teni's son) doesn't join the investigation by tomorrow, then I will sit on hunger strike,” he said.

Supreme Court has asked Uttar Pradesh government to file a status report on who are the accused, against whom FIR is registered and those arrested.

CJI Ramana says two advocates wrote a letter to the court on Tuesday, we directed our Registry to register the letter as PIL but due to miscommunication, they registered it as a suo motu matter.

Matter to be heard later today.

Supreme Court begins hearing in the case registered by it on the violence that killed eight people in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on October 3.

The Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli will begin the hearing in Lakhimpur Kheri violence case shortly.

“The affected families will certainly get justice, the government had ordered an investigation into the case. The affected families have accepted the financial assistance provided to them by the government,” says Union minister Kaushal Kishore on Lakhimpur Kheri deaths.

“Justice is a right in a democracy. I will continue my fight for justice. All the affected families I met yesterday only demanded justice. The Union minister needs to resign to ensure an unbiased investigation,” Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was quoted as saying by ANI after meeting families of the deceased.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi took to Twitter on Thursday sharing the viral video of Lakhimpur Kheri incident and seeking justice for the farmers killed. 

"Protestors can't be silenced through murder. There has to be accountability for innocent blood of farmers that has been spilled and justice must be delivered before a message of arrogance and cruelty enters the minds of every farmer,” he said.

UP government has appointed retired Allahabad high court judge Pradeep Kumar Srivastava as a single-person Commission of enquiry to probe the death of eight people on October 3 in Lakhimpur Kheri district. The Commission has been given a period of two months to submit a report on the same.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra will be visiting Lakhimpur Kheri today to meet the kin of the deceased farmers.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to visit violence-hit Lakhimpur Kheri today and meet the families of the deceased farmers as well as the family of a journalist who lost his life in the incident. 

Yadav had earlier slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party government of having “surpassed the atrocities committed by the British”. The SP chief has demanded ₹2 crore for the families of the four farmers who died in Lakhimpur Kheri violence and the arrest of the accused.

The Congress on Wednesday shared a video clip showing what happened in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, as an SUV ran over protesters, killing eight people. The video is claimed to be a longer and clearer clip of Sunday's violence. Watch here

A delegation of Congress leaders from Jharkhand, led by state Congress president Rajesh Thakur, was stopped by the Uttar Pradesh Police near Wyndhamganj in Sonbhadra district while going to Lakhimpur Kheri to meet the farmers, late last night. 

"We are here since 3 AM. We want to meet our leader Priyanka Gandhi and go to Lakhimpur Kheri. But excuses of section 144 are being made by police. This is totally unconstitutional. UP Government is behaving in a dictatorial manner, they are not even ready to arrest us. It is such a coward government and they have no right to stay in power," said Rajesh Thakur.

The delegation also included state agriculture minister Badal Patralekh and health minister Banna Gupta.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Wednesday thanked the Chief Justice of India (CJI), NV Ramana, for deciding to take up the Lakhimpur Kheri matter suo motu.

Earlier on October 4, reacting to the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, Sibal had said, “This is the symbol of the arrogance of political party that is power. The ruling party is giving a message that they can do whatever they want and even run a car over those who are protesting.”