Wednesday, 06 October 2021 | Preetam Srivastava | Lucknow
2nd post-mortem to be conducted, promises SP of Lakhimpur Kheri
Upset over the inaction of the police in arresting Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son, who is accused of mowing down four farmers, the family of a 19-year-old farmer, who died in Lakhimpur Kheri during a protest on Sunday, has refused to cremate the body until they are provided the autopsy report which has not been made public.
They alleged that the post-mortem report has been falsified. Meanwhile Lakhimpur Kheri SP Vijay Dhul promised that a second autopsy will be conducted in Bahraich.
Lovepreet Singh and three other farmers were among the nine killed in Sunday’s violence during a protest against Ajay Mishra’s visit. Four farmers were allegedly run over by a car in the convoy.
“My son was crushed under a car. There has been no action against the person responsible. The administration is trying to cover up. He had left home saying he was heading out for a good cause,” said Lovepreet’s father.
Lovepreet’s body has been kept in a casket and the entire family is waiting for the autopsy report. “When he was taken to the hospital, he called and said, “Please come quickly”.
“When we reached the hospital, he was no more,” said his distraught father.
Farmers allege that the car which mowed down Lovepreet was being driven by the Minister’s son, Ashish Mishra.
“When my son fell down Teni’s (Union Minister Ajay Teni Mishra) son shot him. We should get justice for this. They have even falsified the post mortem report. We should get justice for that,” his father asserted.
Sources said the autopsy report did not mention injuries due to bullet wounds on any of the deceased farmers.
A senior doctor, who is part of the post-mortem panel at the Lakhimpur district hospital, told some media persons that the causes of death in the autopsy reports include multiple fractures after being run over by a heavy object (like a vehicle) and injuries suffered due to assault.
While the autopsy report has not been made public by the authorities yet, the families of the deceased said they will keep protesting until the reports are out.
In the meantime, farmers’ leader Rakesh Tikait claimed that their protest would not end after Monday’s agreement. In a tweet on Tuesday night, he said that they will again start their protest if the accused Minister was not sacked and that his son is not arrested.
Tikait also said that the second autopsy of the farmer in Bahraich should be done by outside doctors or else they will not go ahead with the cremation. He said that next action will be taken by the farmers after they receive a postmortem report.
Officials from the district administration reached the house of the grieving family in Bahraich and urged them to conduct the last rites of the victim. However, the family has demanded that another post-mortem be carried out, to ascertain the cause of Singh’s death.
Dilbagh Singh, a farmers’ leader who was present, on the site of the violence, added, “The Minister’s son realised that he may get caught, so he shot one of the farmers and fled.”
Meanwhile, confirming Mishra’s presence on the scene, sources quoted a senior police officer saying, “Ashish Mishra did not expect such a crowd and tried to escape, resulting in the incident.”
Tejinder Virk, an injured protester presently under medical treatment at Delhi’s Medanta Hospital, also told some media persons that Union Minister Ajay Teni Misra’s son had been part of the convoy of cars that allegedly mowed down at least three farmers on Sunday.
Virk, who had organised the protest on Sunday, reportedly against the Union Minister’s visit to the area, told a TV channel that we were told at 3 pm that their route has changed.
“We started going back peacefully. Suddenly, speeding cars hit us from behind. The car was at over 100 km/hour speed. They ran us over on purpose. Ajay Misra’s son and his men were in the car. Then I lost consciousness,” he said.
Meanwhile, sources said on the complaint of the family of one of the victims lynched by the mob, Kheri police registered another FIR against Tejinder Singh Virk, a farmer leader.
According to a report, Virk is linked to Samajwadi Party. Amandeep Singh Sindhu, Mahendra Singh and unknown persons have also been named in the complaint along with Virk.
The complaint has been filed by BJP supporter Shubham Mishra’s father Vijay Mishra at the Tikonia police station of Lakhimpur Kheri.
According to the complaint, Shubham Mishra had gone to Banbirpur villager to participate in a wrestling competition in a vehicle driven by one Hari Om Mishra.
The duo was going to receive the chief guest of the programme. Hardly three kilometers from the venue, farmers were protesting. According to Shubham’s father, the protesters started pelting stones at the vehicle in which his son was travelling.
Vijay Mishra alleged in his complaint that he learned about the incident from one Luv Kush. “He narrated to me the horrific incident of how my son and Hari Om Mishra were killed by protesters. Luv Kush told me that he saw Amandeep Singh Sindhu, Mahendra Singh and Tejinder Singh Virk and several other people beating my son Shubham and Hariom with swords and sticks,” Mishra wrote in the complaint.
Vijay Mishra has also mentioned that his son’s purse, mobile phone and gold chain were looted.
