Lakhimpur Kheri: Samyukt Kisan Morcha condemns SC order to grant interim bail to Ashish Mishra

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a coalition of over forty Indian farmers' unions, expressed shock over the Supreme Court's order to grant interim bail for eight weeks to Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish Mishra.

Mishra is accused of killing four farmers by running them over with his car in Lakhimpur Kheri during the 2021 farmers' protest. He was arrested on October 9 and granted bail in February 2022.

The Uttar Pradesh government last week opposed the bail plea of Mishra in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. He had moved Supreme Court challenging Allahabad High Court which denied bail to him in connection with the case.

In the statement SKM said that Mishra "killed four farmers and one journalist in broad daylight by running them over with his vehicle at Lakhimpur Kheri of Uttar Pradesh".

The Supreme Court directed Mishra to leave UP within a week, LiveLaw reported. As per the directions, he can stay neither in the National Capital Territory of Delhi nor in UP for the eight weeks during which his interim bail will last. He can enter Uttar Pradesh only to attend trial court proceedings.

"It is little consolation that the order stipulates that Mishra has to leave UP within week week of his release and he cannot stay in UP or NCT of Delhi. It is universally known that the minister had threatened to kill farmers who oppose him and the BJP government and the murder of farmers was a follow-through act of extreme and unproved violence," the statement read.

During the hearing, the apex court decided to invoke its suo motu powers to grant interim bail to the four accused, Gurwinder Singh, Kawaljeet Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Vichitra Singh, in the related case pertaining to the lynching of two BJP workers and the driver of a car as well, LiveLaw separately reported.

SKM said that Mishra is a powerful politician affiliated to the ruling BJP and his release will greatly intimidate witnesses and jeopardise the trial. "It may be kept in mind that the BJP led UP state govt was soft pedalling the arrest and charging of Ashish Mishra and ultimately the Supreme Court had to order independent investigation and action. It can only be imagined how Mishra on-the-loose will divert and pervert the course of justice," the statement further read.

SKM, moreover, called Ashish Mishra and his father Ajay Mishra "a threat to society and they cannot be allowed to play havoc in society".

"SKM will keep vigil to ensure that Ajay Mishra does not start another reign of terror and humbly submits that the Supreme Court should revoke the interim bail and in any event, not extend it any further," it concluded.