18 arrested after police personnel sustained burn injuries in protest over Lakhimpur Kheri incident

While speaking to the media, Vineet Bhatnagar informed, “The protest over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident was more or less peaceful but some organizations took law in their hands and did not bother other’s lives. Several Police personnel have sustained burn injuries. 18 people have been arrested in this matter.”

As many as eight people were killed on Sunday in Lakhimpur Kheri following violence that broke out after a car hit protesting farmers.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of several farmer unions, issued a statement on Sunday regarding the incident claiming the death of four farmers and alleged that one of the four farmers was shot dead by Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni’s son–Ashish Mishra, while the others have been allegedly run over by the vehicles of his convoy.

However, Ashish Mishra refuted SKM’s opinion and said he was not present at the spot where the incident took place.

The Yogi government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 45 lakh

The Yogi government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 45 lakh and government jobs to the families of 4 farmers killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. Also, the state government has also announced that a retired high court judge will investigate the matter.

Prashant Kumar, Additional Director General (Law and Order) of Uttar Pradesh Police said, “The government will give Rs 45 lakh and government jobs to the families of four farmers killed yesterday in Lakhimpur Kheri. 10 lakh will be given to the injured. The FIR will be registered on the basis of the complaints of the farmers. Retired High Court judges will investigate the matter.”

The ADG also informed that the leader of any political party will not be allowed to visit the district due to the imposition of Section 144 of CrPC.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) national president Naresh Tikait appealed to BJP workers not to go to rural areas of Uttar Pradesh, saying that farmers are angry with the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday.

Addressing a farmers’ panchayat at the BKU headquarters in Sisoli on Sunday night, he alleged that the BJP was trying to defame the farmers’ movement by inciting violence. He asked BJP workers not to visit rural areas to avoid any untoward incident.

On the other hand, Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav and many other leaders, who were going to meet the Lakhimpur Kheri incident victims, have been taken into custody. In protest against this, many leaders of SP and Congress, who were going to protest at the District Collectorate of Gautam Budh Nagar, were taken into custody by the police. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Ankur Aggarwal said that these leaders have been detained in view of law and order. He told that Section 144 is in force in the district and SP leaders were protesting without permission.

Significantly, violence broke out when a group of protesting farmers tried to stop Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra and UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in Tikonia. The protesting farmers were extremely upset with a recent speech by Union Minister Mishra. The farmers claim that the violence broke out after a car in the minister’s convoy ran over the protesters. In the video that emerged from the spot, Bharatiya Janata Party workers can be seen assaulting and setting several vehicles on fire. Eight people, including four farmers, lost their lives in this incident of violence.