Lakhimpur Kheri incident was a vehicle-ramming attack and mob lynching incident during farmers’ protest against the three farm laws passed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Union Government. It happened on 3 October 2021 at Banbirpur village near Tikunia in Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh, India, resulting in deaths of eight people and injuries to ten others. Four protesting farmers and a journalist were run over by the car. Two BJP members and Ajay Mishra Teni's driver were lynched by protestors in the subsequent violence.
Background
The 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest were a series of protest against three farm acts which were passed by the BJP-led Union Government in the BJP controlled Parliament of India in September 2020.
In September 2021, Ajay Mishra Teni, a BJP leader and the Minister of State for Home Affairs was attending an event in the Palia town of Lakhimpur Kheri district. During the event, the farmer union members had shown black flags as a sign of protest. Teni had warned the protesting farmer union members in his speech saying, "Sudhar jao, nahi toh hum sudhaar denge, do minute me" () Tajinder Singh Virk,who is also linked to the Samajwadi Party, a farmer leader, later organised a protest against Teni's upcoming visit, in response to this warning. On 3 October, BJP leaders Ajay Mishra Teni and Keshav Prasad Maurya had planned to attend an event in the area. Keshav Prasad Maurya is the deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Incident
On 3 October 2021, hundreds of farmers in the Tikonia area of Lakhimpur Kheri district were returning after staging protests as part of the 2020-2021 Indian farmers' protest against the three farm laws. The protestors were blocking state deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to Banbirpur village. The protestors walking on the road were hit and ran over from behind by a speeding Mahindra Thar, a SUV car. Two other vehicles in the convoy quickly followed the first car and crushed the injured who were lying on the ground. According to witnesses, gunshots were also fired. The protesters torched the Thar and Fortuner cars and killed three of its occupants, while the driver of the third car in the convoy, a Scorpio, fled the site with his car.
Total eight people died in the violence. Two farmers died on the spot while two more died later in the hospital. Ten farmers were injured. Raman Kashyap, a 28-year-old journalist working with the private TV news channel was among those killed. According to his father and brother, Kashyap was hit by the car and grievously injured. Three persons in the minister's convoy (the driver of Ajay Mishra and two BJP workers) were lynched by the farmers subsequently.
Two of these cars involved were owned by the union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra. According to the eyewitnesses the minister's son, Ashish Mishra, was in one of the cars in the convoy.
Investigation
Two First information reports (FIR) on the incident were filed in the Tikunia police station. The complainant alleged that the event was 'premeditated' and a "conspiracy was hatched by the minister" and his son. Ashish Mishra, along with around 20 unnamed men, was accused and charged with murder, criminal conspiracy, rash driving, and rioting among others. The charges listed in the FIR were Indian Penal Code sections 147, 148, 149 (all three related to rioting), 279 (rash driving), 338 (causes grievous hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life), 304A (causing death by negligence), 302 (murder), and 120B (party to a criminal conspiracy) Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra, was allegedly driving the car involved in the incident. Mishra had denied the charge and evaded police questioning for six days.
The Supreme Court heard the case after two lawyers from Uttar Pradesh wrote to Chief Justice N. V. Ramana, seeking a federal investigation into the incident. The Supreme Court criticised the Uttar Pradesh government and expressed dissatisfaction over the steps taken so far. The court also asked the police why the minister's son had not been arrested when he was accused of a serious crime of murder. Chief Justice Ramana speaking for the court disapproved of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Uttar Pradesh government as "the people in the commission, they're all local officers".
Ashish Mishra appeared for questioning before the SIT six days after the incident. He was arrested and taken to custody on 9 October 2021. Three more people were also arrested. On 12 October, he was taken to the violence site for reconstruction of the events.