Sack Ajay Mishra, meet victims' families: Kejriwal to PM

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged PM Modi to sack Ajay Mishra from the Union Council of Ministers and meet the kin of the farmers who lost their lives in the Lakhimpur-Kheri violence.

Demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the matter which claimed 9 lives on October 3, Kejriwal said, "You should sack the minister involved and meet the families of the victims, they will get some strength if the PM supports them."

In a virtual address held on Wednesday, Kejriwal pointed out that Indian citizens are watching what's happening in Lakhimpur Kheri. "They're expecting justice. But what kind of justice is this where a murderer is being shielded? Politicians and journalists are being stopped on their way to Lakhimpur," Kejriwal asked.

Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra has been named in an FIR in connection with the violent incident at Tikunia village in Lakhimpur Kheri for allegedly mowing down farmers who were protesting against UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the Union minister's ancestral village for a function.

A total of nine persons, including four farmers and a local journalist, were killed in the incident.

"India is celebrating 75th year of Independence with 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. This is what the tyrannical British used to do. Our forefathers did not sacrifice their lives for the country's Independence to see this day. What kind of celebration of Independence is this? What kind of message are we giving to our people?" Kejriwal asked.

He went on to say that the Uttar Pradesh government is protecting the killers, otherwise why they have not been arrested yet, and why the murderers are being protected?

"Criminals mercilessly ran their cars over innocent people only to have the entire system bow down before them and shield them from the law. The car not only crushed the farmers present there but also crushed the soul and spirit of the farmers of this country," Kejriwal said.

Meanwhile, Ajay Mishra said on Wednesday that the Lakhimpur Kheri case is being investigated in a fair manner by multiple agencies.