If Union Minister had not provoked farmers, Lakhimpur violence would not have occurred: Allahabad HC

In what could be considered practically an indictment of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, on Monday, said the Lakhimpur violence of October 2021 might not have happened had Mishra refrained from using provocative language against the farmers.

The minister’s son Ashish Mishra is the prime accused in the case, where four farmers were allegedly killed at Lakhimpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Kheri district. The Bench of Justice D K Singh made the observations while rejecting the bail applications of four accused: Ankit Das, Luvkush, Sumit Jaiswal and Shishupal. The bail application of the accused Mishra could not be taken up on Monday, and would now be heard on May 25.

In its charge sheet filed in the district court, an SIT made Ashish Mishra a key accused and stated that the violence was part of a 'pre-planned conspiracy' and that the accused persons had perpetrated the crime deliberately and invoked sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), 120B (Criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and some others in the case.

Ashish Mishra had been granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in February. However, The Supreme Court, upon being appealed to by farmers, cancelled the bail and referred the matter back to the High Court.

“Political persons holding high offices, should make public utterances in a decent language considering its repercussions in the society...They should not make irresponsible statements as they are required to conduct themselves befitting their status and dignity of high office which they hold,” the Bench observed.

“As submitted, this incident might not have taken place if the Union Minister of State for Home did not make alleged utterances as has been pointed out in the counter affidavit filed on behalf of the Investigating Agency and also mentioned in the charge-sheet…Several innocent lives would not have got lost in a most cruel, diabolic, barbaric, gruesome and inhuman manner allegedly by his very promising son and other accused,” the ruling noted.

Eight people, including four farmers and a local scribe, were killed in the violence in Lakhimpur when hundreds of farmers were protesting Ajay Kumar Mishra’s remarks threatening them with dire consequences if they continued to oppose the now-scrapped farm laws.

Citing the charge-sheet, the Bench said that the farmers had been protesting peacefully the statement of the Union minister, who had reportedly announced that the farmers would be expelled and chased away from Kheri district.