Lakhimpur Kheri deaths: Complainant in FIR among four more held

Three SUVs, including a Mahindra Thar owned by Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, allegedly ran over a group of protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, killing four farmers and a journalist. Three more people were killed in the violence that followed.

The protesters set on fire two SUVs, including the Mahindra Thar, while the third vehicle managed to escape from the spot.

Besides Jaiswal, three others arrested on Monday were identified as Shishu Pal, Nandan Singh Bhist and Satya Prakash Tripathi. The police claimed to have recovered a licenced revolver and three cartridges from Satya Prakash.

A police officer said that while Shishu Pal is a driver by profession, Nandan Singh and Satya Prakash were close associates of Ankit Das, nephew of former Union minister Akhilesh Das, who was also allegedly in one of the vehicles.

Ankit is a close associate of Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, who was also allegedly in one of the SUVs.

Investigations have revealed that Nandan Singh and Satya Prakash were travelling with Ankit Das in his Fortuner on the day of incident, the police said. They said they were trying to verify which vehicle Shishu Pal, who is from Lakhimpur Kheri, was driving that day. “We are looking for two other persons,” said a senior officer. The total number of people arrested so far in connection with the incident has gone up to 10. Earlier, Ashish Mishra, Luvkush Pandey, Ashish Pandey, Ankit Das, Shekhar Bharti and Lateef were arrested.

Sources said the SIT, during questioning of Jaiswal, would verify Ashish Mishra’s claim that he was attending a wrestling event at his village Banveerpur when the incident occurred.

On October 14, the SIT took Ashish Mishra and other accused to the spot to recreate the crime scene with the help of three vehicles and dummy bodies. The SIT has also started recording statements of crucial witnesses before the magistrate.