“The families of the martyrs are grieving and we want to give them space. The atmosphere at present is sombre, but that doesn’t mean our fight is over,” Harinder Singh, a farmer and Samyukt Kisan Morcha’s (SKM) member, who visited the Tikri Border on Wednesday morning, told Vibes of India.
Harinder was referring to the loss of lives of four farmers, who were allegedly run over by the convoy of three SUVs belonging to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Mishra Teni on October 3 in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh. The farmers claim that one of the SUVs was being driven by Mishra’s son Ashish. A viral video making rounds on social media also shows a speeding SUV ramming through the marching farmers, with an elderly farmer being knocked backwards on the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle, in that short video clip, was seen to be still moving.
The SKM has identified the four farmers killed as Lovepreet Singh (20), Daljeet Singh (35), Nachattar Singh (60) and Gurvinder Singh (19). All four have been cremated. In all, eight people were killed during the incident.
Since the incident, the farmers across India have been holding protests, demanding the sacking of Union MoS Ajay Mishra and the arrest of his son. “The police registered the FIR after realising that they cannot hide the incident from the public for long,” Harinder said.
A day after, the UP Police ADG (Law & Order) Prashant Kumar assured the farmers that a retired high court judge will probe the incident and “strict action will be taken against all the culprits”.
In a statement to the press today, SKM reiterated that if its demands for Ashish Mishra’s arrest, sacking of Ajay Mishra from the Union Government and the resignation of Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar was not fulfilled, it will announce a big program on the antim ardaas day of the martyrs. “The UP and Union Governments should consider this as an ultimatum,” the statement read.
“Four martyred farmers’ bodies and that of a local journalist have been cremated, however, SKM warns that the battle is not over until justice is secured, SKM also reiterates its demand for Haryana CM removal or resignation from his constitutional post,” the statement adds.
The demand for Khattar’s resignation came after his widely publicised speech where he asked his party workers to take up lathis and indulge in violence against farmers. During the speech, he called upon 1,000 volunteers from different regions to pick up sticks and fight the “furious farmers”.
While the UP government did announce compensation of Rs 45 lakh each and a government job each to the families of the farmers who were killed on October 3 and a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the injured, in a bid to reach a truce with the protesting farmers, SKM asserts that fight is not over until justice is secured.
“I spoke to the kins of the deceased. Money cannot bring back the dead,” Harinder said.
The SKM in its statement stated, “Reports indicate that both Ajay Mishra and Ashish Mishra are implicated in criminal cases and that the Minister is actually out on a bail. SKM warns the Modi government to take immediate action against the Minister, or face strong resistance. SKM also condemns the complete silence of Mr Narendra Modi on the shocking developments in Lakhimpur Kheri, even though he visited Uttar Pradesh yesterday.”
It added, “SKM condemns the registering of a case against farmer leader Tajinder Singh Virk when he was clearly the one who was attacked and injured in Lakhimpur Kheri. SKM demands that the case filed by Vijay Mishra be withdrawn immediately. Video clips from ground zero clearly show that Tajinder Virk was attacked by the “Thar” vehicle from behind when he was peacefully walking on the road and that later, as he was bleeding and lying on the road in a dazed state, others were running to help him. Registering an FIR against him is a cruel joke and should be withdrawn immediately,” said SKM.
Timeline of events
According to the member of SKM, on October 3, farmers had assembled at the Tikonia crossing to show black flags to UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was to visit the village of Mishra’s parents, Banveerpur, for an event. As per the SKM’s statement, they were there to block the convoy following Mishra’s threat to farmers in a public meeting on September 25th.
SKM alleges that while the farmers were moving on the road along the farmland to block Mishra’s convoy, which was on its way to receive UP Deputy CM, three SUVs from behind rammed into them, killing four farmers. The farmers claimed that Mishra’s son Ashish was driving one of the SUVs.
Union MoS Mishra has maintained that there is no connection between his son and the Lakhimpur incident. He claims that his son was not in the car and that the driver of the vehicle lost balance after being attacked by stone pelters.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are yet to make any statement on the Lakhimpur incident.
