Faith In Judiciary Increased, Say Kin Of Farmers

A day after union minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, returned to jail after the Supreme Court rejected his bail, families of farmers killed in the clashes hailed the apex court’s decision, saying their faith in judiciary has increased.

The Supreme Court had on April 18 cancelled the bail granted to Ashish Mishra by the Allahabad High Court and asked him to surrender in a week. He surrendered in a local court in Lakhimpur on Sunday.

“After hearing the court’s order, I felt that there is rule of law in the country and not of goons,” Sukhwinder Singh, father of deceased farmer Gurvinder Singh of Moharnia told PTI. “Our faith in God and the judiciary has increased with the ruling,” he said.

“The release of the minister’s son and him moving freely was like a slap on the faces of farmers. The Supreme Court has given us a feeling of the presence of law in the country. We are all happy with this decision,” Sukhwinder’s elder brother Sukhdev Singh said.

Eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri during the violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit to the area on October 3 last year.

The dead included four farmers and a journalist, who were mowed down allegedly by cars carrying BJP workers.

According to the FIR lodged in the case, Ashish Mishra was sitting in one of the cars.