UP police, SIT release photos of suspects of Lakhimpur violence; announce ‘rewards’ for information

As many as 10 accused have been arrested so far, which includes Union MoS and BJP leader Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra as well. The development comes after farmers held a six-hour ‘Rail Roko’ agitation on Monday, calling for the resignation of Teni in the matter.

Aimed at furthering the investigation into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, which cost the lives of eight people, including four farmers and a journalist, Uttar Pradesh police and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday released photos of some people suspected to be involved with the violence.

Photos of suspects in Lakhimpur Kheri violence case released by Uttar Pradesh police and the Special Investigation Team. (ANI Photo)

The police and the SIT have urged people to “give information about these suspects,” and have also announced “appropriate rewards” for the same, news agency ANI reported.

This development comes a day after the six-hour ‘Rail Roko’ agitation, which was carried out by farmer unions across India and majorly impacted Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Several trains in over 100 locations across the three states were affected as farmers squatted over railway tracks and even staged sit-ons. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said on Monday that the farmer unions will chalk out their “further strategy” and will continue to showcase such movements until Union MoS Home Ajay Mishra Teni resigns.

Notably, as many as 10 persons have so far been apprehended in the case, and Teni’s son Ashish Mishra is one of them. He has been alleged of being inside the SUV that mowed down the farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh on October 3. Of the 10 people arrested, four were held on Monday and one of them was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker Sumit Jaiswal.

Last week, a court in Lakhimpur Kheri denied bail to Ashish and his accomplice Ashish Pandey, and sent both to a 14-day judicial custody.