A special investigation team (SIT) last week made three more arrests in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence that took place on October 3, in which four farmers, one journalist, and three BJP workers lost their lives, while nearly a dozen were hurt.
Police said Mohit Trivedi, Dharmendra Singh and Rinku Rana have been held for their alleged involvement in the incident. Union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra's son, Ashish Mishra, is one of the co-accused. All the three arrested were allegedly in the third vehicle, which was part of the convoy of three SUVs, one of which mowed the five men, and had been on the run after the incident. The SIT will seek their police remand for questioning. So far, 13 people have been arrested in the case.
Special prosecution officer S P Yadav said: “All the accused were produced before the remand magistrate and they have been sent to judicial custody till November 2. We have also sought their police custody remand and our application will be heard by the chief judicial magistrate.” The SIT has recovered CCTV footage that shows the three vehicles in the convoy leaving towards the site where over 1,000 farmers were protesting. There are also supporting videos shot by farmers moments some of their fellow protesters were run over by the first SUV in the convoy. Farmers have provided these videos to the SIT and all of them, including the CCTV footage, have been sent for forensic tests.
Ashish Mishra has been remanded in police custody along with seven other co-accused, including Sumit Jaiswal and Ankit Das.
