Lakhimpur violence: Govt, farmers reach compromise, minister's son booked for murder

As a host of senior opposition leaders were detained while trying to visit Lakhimpur Kheri, where eight persons, including four farmers, were killed in violence during a protest by the farmers, the administration and the farmer leaders reached a compromise after the state government announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased, ordered a probe by a retired High Court judge and lodged a case of murder against union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra, who was accused of running over four farmers.

Additional director general (ADG) law and order, Prashant Kumar said in Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday that the farmer leaders had agreed to cremate the bodies of the four farmers and call off their agitation.

Kumar, who addressed a joint press conference with BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, said that one member, each from the families of the deceased, would be given a government job and the accused persons would be arrested within eight days.

Also Read | Lakhimpur Kheri: Ajay Mishra says 3 BJP workers and driver lynched, stone-pelting led to car accident

He said that no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the district since Monday night and that security personnel were patrolling the violence torn Tikonia town, where the incident had happened. Seven persons have so far been arrested in connection with the violence.

Ajay Mishra, however, demanded registration of cases against the farmers also claiming that they had killed three BJP workers and the driver of the vehicle carrying them during the violence.

''I suspect that there were some militants and terrorists in the mob....BJP workers were attacked with lathis and swords...they were lynched to death,'' Mishra alleged.

''Though my son was not present on the spot...he too would have been killed had he been there,'' he remarked.

Also Read | Eight dead in UP violence; BKU claims four farmers 'crushed to death' by union minister's convoy

Earlier several opposition leaders, including Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP general secretary S.C.Mishra and others, were either arrested on the way to Lakhimpur Kheri or kept under house arrest to prevent them from going there.

Priyanka, who was arrested late on Sunday night near Hargaon and kept at a PAC guest house, alleged that she was 'pushed' and 'manhandled' by the security personnel.

The state government also denied permission for aircrafts carrying Chattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Randhawa to land at Lucknow airport.

Farmers, however, blocked several highways in Pilibhit, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar and other places and damaged some vehicles in Lucknow.

Eight persons, including at least four farmers, were killed at Tikonia in the district after hundreds of farmers tried to waive black flag and block the visit of Ajai Mishra and UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya to attend a function on Monday.

The farmer leaders claimed that four farmers were killed after being run over by a vehicle from the union minister's convoy and around a dozen others injured. They also alleged that the vehicle was being driven by Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra.

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