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Lakhimpur Kheri: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case on Tuesday arrested two people in connection with the lynching of BJP workers, according to a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh police.
Eight people were killed in the October 3 violence, of which four were farmers who were allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers. Angry farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles.
The other dead included two BJP workers, a driver and a journalist.
Gurvinder Singh and Vichitra Singh have been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the statement issued by the police’s Crime Branch-Lakhimpur said, adding that the arrests pertain to an FIR registered in the case on a complaint by Sumit Jaiswal on October 4.
Jaiswal, a BJP ward member who has been arrested in the second case, claimed that “bad elements” among farm law protesters attacked BJP workers. The FIR had no reference to the mowing down of farmers.
In another FIR, registered on a complaint lodged by Bahraich-based Jagjit Singh, in the case, BJP leader and Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra has been named as accused besides 15 to 20 unidentified persons.
This came after, farmers claimed that Ashish Mishra was in one of the vehicles that mowed down the four farmers.
On the basis of Jaiswal’s complaint, police had charged “unnamed rioters” under Indian Penal Code sections such as 302 (murder), 324 (causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means).
While Gurvinder Singh is a resident of Mokramau Aliganj in Lakhmipur Kheri district’s Gola area, Vichitra Singh is a resident of Bheera in the same district, the Crime Branch-Lakhimpur said in the statement but did not elaborate.
The FIR registered on Jaiwal’s complaint said: “The bad elements in the farmers’ protest had attacked the vehicle with bamboo sticks, bricks and stones due to which driver Hari Om got injured and stopped the car on the road side.”
Thirteen persons, including Ashish Mishra, have been arrested so far on the basis of the FIR registered on the complaint of Jagjit Singh.
The others arrested include BJP ward member Jaiswal, Ankit Das, Latif alias Kale, Shekhar Bharti, Shishu Pal, Satya Prakash Tripathi alias Satyam, Nandan Singh Bisht, Ashish Pandey and Lavkush Rana, Mohit Trivedi, Ranku Rana and and Dharmendra.
According to the Jagjit Singh FIR, the violence was “premeditated” and a “conspiracy was hatched” by the minister and his son.
The FIR has been lodged under Indian Penal Code sections 147, 148, 149 (all three related to rioting), 279 (rash driving), 338 (causes grievous hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life), 304A (causing death by negligence), 302 (murder), 120B (party to a criminal conspiracy).