Farmers unions have called upon all farmer’s organizations across India to protest at District Magistrates’ offices in all districts between noon and 1 pm on Monday following four farmers were killed in violence that broke out in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh during protests over the visit of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya.
Eight persons, including four farmers, were killed, said Arun Kumar Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police, Lakhimpur Kheri, after farmer’s unions claimed three farmers were run over by a vehicle in the convoy of the Union minister Mishra, in which his son Ashish Mishra and other relatives were seated and a farmer shot dead by Ashish Mishra.
The dead farmers are Lovepreet Singh (20), Nachhatar Singh (60) Daljeet Singh (35) and Gurwinder Singh (19).
The other four who died were occupants of the vehicle that allegedly ran over the farmers, according to the senior cop.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmers, has demanded that the Lakhimpur Kheri incident should be probed by a sitting Supreme Court judge, not by the Uttar Pradesh administration.
The farmer leaders alleged that the BJP government is already spinning the narrative that vehicles of BJP leader and Union minister drove into them because of stone-pelting which is completely false.
In a press release, SKM has also demanded the dismissal of Union Minister (MoS, Home) Ajay Mishra and has condemned the ‘brutal and inhumane attack’ on farmers.
Minister’s son Ashish Mishra and those who killed protesters must be booked under Section 302 IPC, SKM urged the authorities.
Farmer unions have also claimed that more than 10 farmers were injured.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait as well as farmers from Punjab and Haryana are on their way to the UP district.
The farmers had gathered in Tikunia to register their protests against the three farm laws ahead of an event where UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya was to be the chief guest.
Union Minister Ajay Mishra was on a visit to the area when the violence against farmers broke out. The p decided to block their visits over Mishra’s recent speech in which he has brushed off the protests, saying it was a protest of “10-15 people and it would take just two minutes to make them fall in line”.
Thousands of protesting peasants had occupied the helipad at Maharaja Agrasen Sports Ground, where the Deputy CM’s helicopter was initially supposed to land. Due to the gathering, Keshav Prasad Maurya changed his plans and reached Lakhimpur at noon by road instead.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to condemn the brutality, stating that the sacrifice would not go in vain, while expressing his support for the Kisan Satyagraha.
, Nachhatar Singh (60) Daljeet Singh (35), Gurwinder Singh (19): Farmers killed in UP by the son of bjp leader){kind=link}