Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Farmers’ union to hold nationwide ‘rail-roko’ agitation today, demands MoS Ajay Mishra’s resignation
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will stage a six-hour nationwide ‘rail roko’ agitation on Monday (October 18, 2021) to demand the resignation of Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’ from the Union Cabinet over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, in which his son Ashish Mishra Teni is an accused.
“To press for its demand for MoS Ajay Mishra’s dismissal and arrest, so that justice can be secured in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, SKM has announced a nation-wide rail roko programme on October 18,” said a statement issued by the umbrella body of farmers’ unions on Sunday.
“SKM put out a call to its constituents to stop rail traffic for six hours on October 18, between 10 am and 4 pm. SKM has asked for this action to be taken up peacefully, without any destruction and damage of any kind to any railway property,” it further read.
SKM has been demanding the dismissal of MoS Ajay Mishra Teni from the Union Council of Ministers. “It is very apparent that with Ajay Mishra being the MoS for Home Affairs in the Union Government, justice cannot be secured in this matter,” it said.
“He promoted hatred, enmity and communal disharmony between Hindus and Sikhs in his speeches. It is his vehicles that were used to mow down peaceful protestors. He harboured his son and accomplices even as the police was issuing summons to Ashish Mishra,” the statement added.
The Lakhimpur Kheri violence claimed the lives of eight people, four of whom were farmers. SKM claimed that MoS Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish shot a farmer while the others were run over by his convey’s vehicles.
MoS Teni, on the other hand, had categorically denied the allegations, claiming that his son was not present at the scene of the incident. Ashish reiterated his point and refuted SKM’s claims. Three people were later arrested in the case, including Ashish Mishra.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) sentenced accused Ashish Mishra to prison after he appeared before the Crime Branch on October 14.
