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| Six peeple dead in violence during farmers' protest in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri |
Six people have been killed in a spate of violence during a farmers' protest over Uttar Pradesh Deputy Prime Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, according to an official. Two SUVs were set on fire by angry farmers, reports said, after beating a group of protesters.
Lakhimpur Kheri: Six people have been killed in a spate of violence during a farmers' protest over Uttar Pradesh Deputy Prime Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, according to an official. Two SUVs were set on fire by angry farmers, reports said, after beating a group of protesters.
Four of the dead were traveling in cars and the remaining two were farmers, a UP government official said. Maurya's visit to Banbirpur village was canceled due to the violence.
Farmers had gathered there to protest Maurya's visit to Banbirpur, the hometown of Indigenous Minister for Home Affairs and Parliament Ajay Kumar Mishra. Violence erupted after two SUVs allegedly ran over a group of protesters representing the law, who were protesting on the Tikonia-Banbirpur road.
Farmers suspect the son of the Union Minister was in one of the vehicles, a charge denied by Mishra.
Mishra told PTI by telephone that three BJP workers and the driver had been beaten to death "some of the items" by protesting farmers after the car they were traveling in overturned a tortoise after being stoned.
Mishra said two farmers died after getting under the car. He said neither his son nor he was at the scene when the incident happened. He said the incident happened when some BJP staff members were welcoming Maurya, who had come to the event in Lakhimpur Kheri.
"Two farmers and four occupants of the vehicles were stopped by farmers. The death toll stands at 6," the official said.
"There was a cavalcade, marked with black flags (farmers). The cavalcade was moving as usual. When two to three cavalcade vehicles were left behind, their car started looking down, and two farmers crawled under it and died," the official added.
"After that, the car behind it was damaged. Passengers and drivers were taken out of the vehicles and beaten to death. In all, six people were killed. This included two farmers and four people who were beaten to death by farmers," said a UP government official.
Additional Director of Police (Law and Order) Prasant Kumar has arrived at the scene and the situation is under control, he added.
Meanwhile, the incident has sparked widespread reactions from opposition groups and farmers' bodies.
On Hindi Twitter, Chief Justice Akhilesh Yadav demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath. "I had an interview with Tejinder Singh Virk ji, a farmer leader who was seriously injured in the incident," Akhilesh said, criticizing BJP staff for the incident.
"Because of his critical condition, the government should provide him with better treatment as soon as possible. Only one thing is needed, the prime minister must resign," he said. In another tweet, he said "trampling on farmers by the son of the Minister of Home Affairs" is an inhumane and brutal act.
"UP will not tolerate BJP pressure. If this situation continues, BJP people will not be able to travel by car, and they will not be able to ride," he said. Akhilesh Yadav is likely to visit Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will visit Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday, said UP Congress spokeswoman Ashok Singh. Rashtriya Lok Dal's head Jayant Chaudhary on Hindi Twitter accuses the Union Minister's horse of running to protest farmers.
When the heinous act of suppressing the protest is "crushed" by the minister, who is unsafe, he says. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) also alleges that the son of the Union Minister ran over protesting farmers.
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