A second chargesheet has been filed against seven farmers over the death of two BJP workers and a driver during the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri, according to a report by NDTV.
The first chargesheet filed in October last year had named the main accused, Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Sharma, who allegedly drove an SUV into a crowd of protesters, killing 8 people, including farmers.
The farmers named in the second chargesheet have been arrested although it not clear whether all of them have been charged with murder.
The second case was filed after a complaint by a local BJP worker Sumit Jaiswal who accused the farmers of instigating the violence.
Jaiswal was arrested as a co-accused in the case naming Ashish Mishra, along with 13 others, who face the charges of murder and conspiracy.
'Pre-planned conspiracy'
The Special Investigative Team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh Police, which had been probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, on 3 January, filed a chargesheet against the 14 accused in the case. The chargesheet spans approximately 5,000 pages.
It has named the main accused, Ashish Mishra, and 13 others, including Virendra Kumar Shukla, whose name had surfaced during the investigation and has been booked for the disappearance of evidence.
The SIT had earlier stated that the event was a “pre-planned conspiracy” and not an act of negligence.
The Background
Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri in October, after being run over by a convoy of cars.
Thousands of 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.
As per reports, Ashish Mishra reached the site to receive the deputy CM where farmers had gathered to protest when clashes erupted. After Mishra's car allegedly ran over three farmers, dozens of protestors set fire to two vehicles that injured farmers.
The protestors have accused the BJP leader's convoy of crushing protestors with their vehicles, which left several others injured.
(With inputs from NDTV)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)