Hummingbird News Desk
NEW DELHI, 9 OCT: Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son, Ashish Mishra, the primary accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence was arrested after hours of interrogation by an SIT on Saturday night.
SIT head DIG Upendra Agarwal said, “After daylong questioning, we have taken Ashish Mishra into custody.”
On Saturday, he was quizzed here for over nine hours by an SIT of Uttar Pradesh police in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence on 3 October, a day after the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over the state government’s action in the case.
Ashish Mishra appeared before the special investigation team (SIT) at around 10.30 am after a second summons was served to him the previous day when he did not turn up for interrogation and the questioning at the crime branch office in the Police Lines was continuing even after 8 pm, sources said.
Many of his supporters also reached the Crime Branch office in Lakhimpur Kheri where the interrogation took place. His lawyer Awadhesh Singh was also present along with Sadar MLA Yogesh Verma.
The second notice sent by the police had asked Ashish Misra to appear before it on Saturday after he failed to do so on Friday.
The notice had also warned Ashish Misra that if he fails to appear, necessary legal action would be initiated against him.
BJP leader Amit Malviya said that the arrest of Ashish Mishra is a step towards justice.
“The UP CM promised that justice will be done and that is exactly what is happening,” Malviya said, adding that those who “lynched and killed” BJP workers will be investigated.
Whether it is the minister’s son or those who lynched BJP workers, everyone will be investigated, he added.
The FIR registered on the complaint of one Jagjit Singh says that Ashish was in the Thar Mahindra SUV that mowed down farmers killing one on the spot on 3 October, and that he also escaped into sugarcane fields firing shots.
Ashish joined the probe under tremendous pressure from the farm unions who had given him an ultimatum to appear before 12 October or be ready for a massive offensive.
Tags: #AshishMishra #UnionMinister #AjayMishra #SIT #LakhimpurKheri
