Lakhimpur Kheri incident: 4 including BJP leader seen inside SUV arrested

A BJP leader and three other individuals — seen inside the SUV that ran over protesting farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh — were arrested yesterday (October 18).

The police said Sumit Jaiswal, Shishupal, Nandan Singh Bisht, and Satya Prakash Tripathi were arrested by the Crime Branch. “Licensed revolver and three bullets were recovered from Satya Prakash Tripathi and seized,” senior officer Prashant Kumar said.

Also read: Lakhimpur Kheri: Ashish Mishra denied bail, two others arrested

Local BJP leader Sumit Jaiswal was seen in a viral video escaping from the vehicle that mowed down farmers. Earlier, he registered an FIR against farmers, reasoning that they attacked his driver, friend and two BJP workers after the SUV hit the farmers.

On October 3, three SUVs, one one of which belongs to Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, hit four farmers and a journalist. An FIR was registered at the Tikonia police station on October 3. Ashish Mishra, son of Ajay Mishra, was arrested on October 9. Families of farmers claimed that Ashish Mishra was sitting inside the lead SUV that crushed the farmers. The Supreme Court intervened in the case. Ashish Mishra’s arrest was followed by twelve hours of police questioning.

Also read: Lakhimpur Kheri: SIT nabs driver of SUV that ran over farmers 

Ashish Mishra claimed that he was in his paternal village at the time of the incident and stayed there all day, denying the charge against him.

In the FIR lodged by Sumit Jaiswal, he claimed that the farmers attacked Ashish Mishra’s convoy and that the car was not moving.

He claimed while they were at the programme venue, the protesters climbed the car, shouted ‘Khalistan Zindabad, and attacked them. “They were armed with sticks and rocks, and they kept attacking us, abusing us,” Jaiswal said.