Lakhimpur violence: Ashish Mishra sent to 3-day police custody

Lakhimpur Kheri, UP: A local court in Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday sent Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, to three days police custody in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in the violence on October 3.

"Police had demanded a 14-day remand of Ashish. They have got three-day remand from October 12 to 15," senior prosecution officer SP Yadav told reporters.

He will, however, have access to his legal team during the period of police remand.

The remand will end on October 15 morning.

The police remand was granted by Chief Judicial Magistrate Chintaram, with the condition that Ashish Mishra will not be harassed and his lawyer will remain present during interrogation, Yadav said.

The Special Investigation Team, set up by the Yogi Adityanath government to probe the incident, had sought 14 days police remand of Ashish Mishra from the Chief Judicial Magistrate in order to carry out further investigations and recreate the crime scene.

The public prosecutor said the custody can be demanded within 15 days of the arrest. "It was pure non-cooperation. During the 12 hours, he did not reply," the public prosecutor said.

Mishra's counsel Avadesh Singh said, "They interrogated him for 12 hours. How much do they need to interrogate? Do they want to apply third degree on the accused? You can't beat him and take his statement... They have not given any reason why they need remand."

The hearing in Ashish Mishra's remand case concluded with his lawyer denying all the allegations levelled against his client by the Uttar Pradesh Police.

Some technical issues in video conferencing were reported when the court was to start the hearing in the case. The judge left the court room as there was a delay in connecting the video.

Mishra was arrested late on Saturday night and produced the same night before a magistrate who sent him to judicial custody.

Eight people died in the October 3 violence and of them four were farmers, allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers.

Infuriated farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles.

The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver. A local scribe had also died in the incident.

Farmers claimed that Union Minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra was in one of the vehicles, an allegation denied by him and his father.

The SKM had demanded the arrest of the father-son duo.

A nine-member SIT team headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Upendra Agarwal has been formed to investigate the FIR lodged against the minister's son and others in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

After two men were arrested on Thursday in the case, police had put up a notice outside Ashish Mishra's house who appeared before the SIT on Saturday and was questioned for over 12 hours leading to his arrest late on Saturday night.