Lakhimpur Kheri violence case: SIT recreates crime scene with Ashish Mishra

Lucknow: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Uttar Pradesh Police, which is probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, on Thursday recreated the sequence of events leading to the incident in Tikonia. The police took Union minister Ajay Misra's son Ashish and three others accused to the spot to recreate the crime scene.

The four included Ashish Mishra, Ankit Das, his gunner Kaale and driver Shekhar Bharti. Amid tight security, they were taken to the site of the incident on the Tikunia-Banbirpur road, around 60 km from Lakhimpur city, said police.

"The crime scene recreation was done with the help of experts from Lucknow. The investigation team has gathered evidence against the accused but the information can't be shared until the probe is over," ADG (Lucknow zone) SN Sabat said.

The entire area, where the October 3 incident took place, in which four farmers were mowed down by an SUV and five others killed in the ensuing violence, was cordoned off.

The accused were asked questions about their presence on the spot even though they knew that farmers were protesting there.

Thursday is the last day of the police custody of Ashish Mishra and a huge police presence was seen at the crime scene.

The SIT arranged for three SUVs and also dummies to recreate how the speeding vehicles mowed down farmers on that fateful day. The SIT cross-checked the statements of the four people in the case.

During this exercise, the team of Forensic Science Laboratory, Lucknow was also present along with the SIT. The Rapid Action Force (RAF) has also been deployed along with the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) on the spot.

Eight people died in the October 3 violence and of them, four were farmers, allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers. Infuriated farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles. The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver. In the incident, a journalist was also killed.

So far, the police had arrested six accused, including the Union minister's son, his two accomplices, Luv Kush and Ashish Pandey, in connection with the case.