Lakhimpur incident: Ashish Mishra, minister's son, accused of mowing down farmers gets bail

Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, and the prime accused in the mowing down four farmers in Lakhimpur on October 3, following a protest by farmers, has been granted bail by the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench.

Mishra was arrested on October 9 last year by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing the incident.

"Ashish Mishra has been arrested as he was not cooperating during the interrogation and did not answer a few questions," DIG Upendra Agarwal had told reporters at the time of his arrest.

An FIR was registered against him and a few others over the incident, but the UP Police did not move against him until the Supreme Court decided to take up the matter.

His arrest came a day after the apex court expressed its dissatisfaction with the UP government over the action taken in the case.

Ashish Mishra turned up for questioning the second time he was summoned, and after 12 hours the nine-member SIT headed by DIG Agarwal, arrested him.

Eight people were killed on October 3, 2021, after violence erupted during a farmers' protest, claiming the lives of farmers and BJP workers ahead of a visit to Lakhimpur by UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Four of the dead were farmers who were mowed down by a speeding SUV, belonging to Ashish Mishra. One journalist covering the incident was also killed in the incident.

Three BJP workers were killed in retaliatory violence.

The Special Investigation Team probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident has said that there was a planned conspiracy to murder protesting farmers.