NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court, on Friday, asked the Uttar Pradesh government, to file a status report on who are the accused and against whom the FIR has been registered in the Lakhimpur Kheri case.
The court took a suo motu cognizance of the matter on Wednesday.The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday pasted a notice outside the residence of Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra in Lakhimpur Kheri, asking his son Ashish Mishra to appear before it on October 8 in connection with the violence during the farmers protest.

Meanwhile, UP Police in Lakhimpur Kheri have arrested two persons in connection with the Sunday violence in Tikunia village in the district.

Lakhimpur Kheri Police have arrested two persons in connection with the Sunday violence in Tikunia village in the district. The arrested persons have been identified as Luvkush Rana and Ashish Pandey, according to the police spokesperson. Both are said to be close associates of Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni.This is the first time the police has asked to question Ashish Mishra — the son of junior home minister Ajay Mishra. Both Ajay Mishra and his son have denied that they were present at the spot, though the minister told NDTV that the SUV belonged to his family. Amid opposition demands that he step down, Ajay Mishra met his boss, Union Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday. Government sources have ruled out the possibility of any resignation.
The FIR has named Ashish Mishra and said that he was driving the car which ran over the protesters. According to the FIR, Ashish also opened fire after getting down from the car and then he went into hiding. However, a fresh video of the incident suggests that three SUVs were involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and those cars were not under any attack. The first SUV rammed a group of protesters who were walking with flags at an unexpectedly high speed, followed by the two other SUVs. Further raids are on in search of other accused, the official added. However, the minister’s son is still untraceable, the official said.
“Two people are being questioned. They have confirmed role of three others who are dead. Technically, they have also been accounted for. These people are giving a lot of information. We are sending summon to the main accused (Ashish Mishra) for questioning,” said Lakshmi Singh, Lucknow IG. The Opposition parties have been demanding immediate arrest of Ashish Misra for his alleged role in killing farmers, who were run over by a vehicle linked to the minister. However, a fresh video of the incident suggests that three SUVs were involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and those cars were not under any attack. The first SUV rammed a group of protesters who were walking with flags at an unexpectedly high speed, followed by the two other SUVs.
Today, the Supreme Court asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file a status report on who are the accused, against whom FIR is registered and those who are arrested.

The Supreme Court, which is hearing a petition regarding the events at Lakhimpur Kheri, today questioned “how many people have been arrested” and asked the state government to submit a status report by tomorrow.
“We need to know whom you registered an FIR against and how many have you arrested,” said the bench led by Chief Justice NV Ramana. The status report also has to include details of the eight persons killed.
In response to the court, the state government said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted and a single-member enquiry commission has also been set up to file a status report on the incident. A single-member Commission of Enquiry, headed by retired High Court Judge Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, with headquarters at Lakhimpur Kheri, has been constituted to investigate the death of 8 persons in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3.
The arrested persons have been identified as Luvkush Rana and Ashish Pandey, according to the police spokesperson. Both are said to be close associates of Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni. A Lakhimpur police official said that the two were seated in one of the vehicles that mowed down farmers in Tikunia village on Sunday. The two are being interrogated by the police.
“Summons have been issued to Ashish Mishra and he has been asked to come for questioning soon as possible and more action against him will follow,” Lakshmi Singh, the Inspector General of Lucknow Zone, told . The move came as the Supreme Court asked UP about arrests and action taken in the case. “We are not shielding anyone. The law of the land is equal for all. We will ensure that strict action is taken,” Lakshmi Singh said. The police have registered a case against 13 people. Two people were questioned today in the case.
(With Inputs from Lucknow Bureau).

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