Union minister of state for home affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra on Thursday attended the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) event, but media was not allowed to cover it, suggesting that the Central government was unlikely to concede to the demand by farmers and opposition parties to sack him over Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Several videos have emerged over last two days that show a convoy of vehicles linked to the minister’s son Ashish Mishra run over a group of farmers walking on a rural road in Lakhimpur Kheri. The Uttar Pradesh police has registered a case against Mishra’s son and others but no action has been taken against them as of now. Several political leaders have accused the Centre of insensitivity and questioned why the accused has not been arrested and the minister removed.
The BPRD had initially suggested on Wednesday that the event, ‘7th national conference of heads of prisons of all states/union territories’, organised at its headquarters in Mahipalpur, had been put on hold.
However, the event took place and Mishra attended it as the chief guest as per the original programme and even addressed the officers present there. The content of his speech was not provided to the media.
Also Read: Jharkhand Congress workers on way to Kheri stopped at UP border
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{{/usCountry}}Eight people, including four farmers and a local journalist Raman Kashyap, died on Sunday in violence that broke out when at least one car, allegedly driven by the minister’s son, hit protesting farmers, prompting an angry crowd to burn two vehicles and lynch the occupants of one of the vehicles. Farmers have sought the arrest of father-son duo.
The minister has defended himself saying he or his son was not present at the spot on Sunday.