Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Two arrested, Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son summoned by police

The UP Police on Thursday arrested two people in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri incident where eight people were killed. It has also summoned Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra 'Teni', for questioning. The police have deployed teams to find Mishra, inspector general of police Lakshmi Singh said in Lucknow on Thursday.

She said police found two spent bullets from one of the SUVs during forensic examination which indicated that shots were fired during the incident. However, she ruled out bullets had killed the farmers, saying no bullet injuries were found in autopsies. The FIR filed by Gurvinder Singh's kin had mentioned that he died due to a bullet injury.

The first action by the police in the case came four days after the incident and after the Supreme Court asked UP to submit a status report by Friday on the identity of the accused. Separately, the UP government announced a single-member inquiry commission headed by retired Allahabad high court judge Pradeep Srivastava to probe the deaths. The commission is required to complete the probe in two months.

Singh said the two arrested confirmed the identity of three people killed, apart from the four farmers. "Technically, they have also been accounted for," she said. The four others dead have been identified now as two BJP workers in the vehicle that ran over the farmers, the vehicle driver and a local journalist.

She said Ashish Mishra has been summoned for questioning and for recording his statement. The police will proceed with further action if evidence is found against him. UP Police has faced immense flak from opposition parties for not arresting Mishra, named along with 15-20 other unknown people in one of the FIRs registered for murder of the farmers among other charges. BJP ally Apna Dal (S) joined the Opposition chorus with president Ashish Patel calling for "immediate arrest" of Ashish Mishra.