The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the violence that took place in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. A Bench of Chief Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli will hear the matter on 7 October, Thursday. A total of eight people including four farmers died in the violence that took place in Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday, 3 October.
A Congress delegation led by Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday evening reached violence-hit Lakhimpur Kheri.
There the Congress delegation including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the kin of the deceased farmer Lovpreet Singh. After meeting the family, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “Shared grief with the family of Lovepreet. But until justice is not done, this satyagraha will continue. Won’t forget your sacrifice, Lovepreet.”
The five-member Congress delegation will then head to Nighasan in Lakhimpur Kheri district.
Apart from Rahul Gandhi, the delegation also included Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and party general secretary K.C. Venugopal.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday approved the visit of the Congress delegation led by Rahul Gandhi.
“We have received approval from the government for the visit of the Rahul Gandhi-led delegation,” Lakhimpur Kheri District Magistrate (DM) Dr Arvind Kumar Chaurasiya said.
However, a cavalcade of cars following Rahul Gandhi from Lucknow airport to Lakhimpur Kheri was stopped at Itaunja toll plaza and only his car was permitted to pass.
Earlier, Trinamool Congress MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Dola Sen, Pratima Mondal, Abir Ranjan Biswas and Sushmita Dev had met with the families of the four farmer victims.
UP Additional Director General (ADG) for Law and Order, Prashant Kumar on Wednesday said that the Uttar Pradesh government has permitted people in groups of five to visit Lakhimpur Kheri. “The state government has now permitted people in groups of five to visit Lakhimpur Kheri. Anyone who wants to go there can go now. The state government had imposed restrictions to maintain law and order, not to restrict any movement,” Kumar said.
“The district administration of Lakhimpur Kheri has issued email id and a helpline number for the common people so that they can share evidence of the incident,” he said.
The ADG also said that the police would conduct a detailed investigation in the case said that no accused will be spared.
Earlier in the day, the Congress delegation led by Rahul Gandhi arrived in Sitapur to join party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was put under detention in a guest house there.
Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of several farmer unions, has alleged that Ashish Mishra Teni, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni arrived with three vehicles around the time the farmers were dispersing from their protest at the helipad and mowed down the farmers and towards the end also attacked SKM leader Tajinder Singh Virk directly, by trying to run a vehicle over him. However, Ashish Mishra has refuted SKM’s allegations and said he was not present at the spot where the incident took place. MoS Teni also said that his son was not present at the spot, adding that some miscreants mingled with protesting farmers and pelted stones at the car which led to the “unfortunate incident”.
Before he left for Lucknow, Rahul Gandhi had told reporters in New Delhi that the job of the opposition was to create pressure on the government as it was doing injustice to the farmers. “We had created pressure during the Hathras incident and that is why action was taken. The government does not want the issue to come into the light. This is why the opposition is creating pressure,” he said.
The Wayanad MP further said, “It is the responsibility of the media to raise the issue, but when we (Opposition) ask questions, raise the issue, then, you (media) say that we are doing politics.”
He also said that there is no democracy in the country as the Opposition leaders were being barred from entering Lakhimpur. “Earlier, there was democracy in the country. Today it is a dictatorship. The government is insulting the farmers. The opposition leaders are barred from entering Lakhimpur. This is what happens in a dictatorship.” “We are trying to tell the government to let the country function according to democratic processes . It is a safety valve,” he added.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot’s convoy, which was en-route to violence-hit Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh, was stopped on the Delhi-Lucknow routein Niyamatpur on Wednesday.
“We are taking them to a guest house for a conversation and will decide what to do next,” District Magistrate of Moradabad Shailendra Kumar Singh told media persons. He added that Pilot arrived with a cavalcade of vehicles including 4-6 cars.
BANDH IN MAHARASHTRA
Meanwhile, the Uddhav Thackeray led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra called for a state-wide bandh on 11 October in view of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh.
After a state Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, senior Cabinet Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state chief Jayant Patil informed the media that the Cabinet has decided to hold a “Maharashtra Bandh” on 11 October to mark their protest against the Central government over Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Patil further added that the incidents remind him of the “Jallianwala Bagh massacre.” He also said that in light of standing in solidarity with the farmers, they are observing this bandh. “During the bandh, only essential services will operate,” he noted.
Earlier in the cabinet meeting, the Maharashtra state cabinet minister today passed a resolution to express condolences over the unfortunate death of the farmers. Cabinet ministers also observed two minutes of silence and paid tributes to the deceased farmers.