Lakhimpur Kheri violence: SIT releases photos of six suspects

The Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Investigation Team investigating the October 3 violence in Lakhimpur Kheri district released photographs of six suspected persons in the case on Tuesday, PTI reported.

The six were seen standing near a car that was set ablaze during the violence.

The SIT has assured the public that those who come forward with information about the suspects will be rewarded and that their identities will be kept confidential.

“We have also released four cellphone numbers on which people can give information, including their names and addresses,” The Indian Express quoted an officer involved in the investigation as saying.

The SIT on Tuesday also recorded the statements of seven people who were present at the spot. On Saturday, it had sent notices to 37 people asking them to record their statements. Out of these, 15 persons have done so in the last two days, the newspaper reported.

Eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3 during a protest against the three farm laws. Four of them were farmers. Farmer organisations have alleged that a vehicle belonging to Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra ran over them. They have also alleged that his son Ashish Mishra was in the vehicle.

The four others killed in the violence were BJP workers Shubham Mishra and Shyam Sunder Nishad, Hari Om Mishra, the driver of a car in Ajay Mishra’s convoy, and journalist Raman Kashyap.

Two first information reports have been registered in connection with the violence. The first FIR names Ashish Mishra as an accused person, along with five others.

The second FIR pertains to the killings of the BJP workers and the driver. The complainant in the second case, Sumit Jaiswal, was arrested on Monday.

On October 4, the Uttar Pradesh government had announced that a retired High Court judge will investigate the violence.