Lakhimpur Kheri Incident: Farmers' Union urges for a nationwide protest on Monday
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Ghaziabad: After at least eight people including four farmers killed in violence erupted at UP's Lakhimpur Kher during a farmers' protest over Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a protest across the country on Monday.
The SKM, an umbrella body of over 40 farm unions while urging a protest outside the offices of district magistrates and divisional commissioners across the country, also demanded a probe into the incident by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court and not by the Uttar Pradesh administration
"To express our agitation against Sunday's incident, the SKM calls for a protest outside the offices of district magistrates and divisional commissioners across the country between 10 am and 1 pm," PTI quoted farmer leader Darshan Pal Singh as saying on Sunday.
"We demand that Union Minister of State for Home and Khiri MP Ajay Kumar Mishra be immediately dismissed from his post. A case under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the IPC should be registered against the minister's son and other goons," said farmer leaders Yogendra Yadav and Darshan Pal Singh at a virtual press conference.
The farmer leaders also alleged that Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra's son was in one of the SUVs and also claimed that at least four farmers were killed in the incident. They also appealed to the protesters to maintain calm.
Violence broke out after two SUVs allegedly ran over a group of anti-farm law protesters who were demonstrating against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya at the Tikonia-Banbirpur road on Sunday.
Unconfirmed reports said a number of farmers were seriously injured in the incident. Angry protesters allegedly forced the two vehicles to stop and set them ablaze. They also allegedly thrashed some passengers of the vehicles.
The farmers had assembled there to oppose Maurya's visit to Banbirpur, the native village of Mishra.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday left for Lakhimpur Kheri along with his several supporters amid reports of violence there during a farmers' protest in which several people have been injured.
While leaving Ghazipur on the Delhi-Ghaziabad border for Lakhimpur Kheri, Tikait, the BKU's national spokesperson, claimed that several farmers are feared dead during the violence in which two vehicles were also allegedly set on fire.
The farmers in Lakhimpur were returning after the protest when they were attacked. Some of them were run over, while the fire was also opened on them. According to the information we have so far, several people have died in the incident, Tikait said in a purported video message he posted on Twitter.