Lakhimpur Kheri Violence: Protests Across UP Over Killing Of Farmers

Various political parties and farmers' outfits on Monday held protests in various parts of Uttar Pradesh over the killings of four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, demanding the dismissal of Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra and lodging of an FIR against him and his son.

The protests and demonstrations were reported from various districts, including Banda, Chitrakoot, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Fatehpur, Jalaun and Lalitpur in the Bundelkhand region, besides Shahjahanpur, Pilibhit and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s home turf Gorakhpur.

Besides the usual shouting of anti-government slogans, burning of government effigies, staging of sit-ins and blocking road traffics, the demonstrations were also marked by protesters clashing with police at some places, including Pilibhit, Chitrakoot, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Fatehpur, Jalaun and Lalitpur.

Workers of various political parties which participated in these protests included those of the Samajwadi Party, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party.

Some of the political parties also protested against their leaders being stopped from proceeding to Lakhimpur Kheri.

In a statement, the Samajwadi Party, in protests against the detention of its president Akhilesh Yadav to stop him from visiting the violence-hit district, its workers held demonstrations all over the state.

SP chief Spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said the protests and dharnas were staged at all district headquarters and memorandums, addressed to President Ram Nath Kovind were given to officials there, demanding the dismissal of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra.

The memorandum also demanded the registration of a criminal case against Mishra and his son and a compensation of Rs 1 crore to families of each of the killed farmers besides a government job to one of their kins, he added.

According to reports, farmers' outfits and political parties held demonstrations before the offices of district magistrates in Banda, Chitrakoot, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Fatehpur, Jalaun and Lalitpur in the Bundelkhand region.

In Banda, farmers led by the central president of Bundelkhand Kisan Union, Vimal Kumar Sharma, marched to the collectorate shouting slogans against the government and handed over a memorandum to officials there, demanding compensation to families of farmers, killed in Lakhimpur Kheri.

In Banda, the Congress and SP workers too held demonstrations.

In Chitrakoot, SP workers blocked the Prayagraj road and clashed with police.

Similar protests by SP workers were also held in Mahoba, Hamirpur, Fatehpur, Jalaun, Lalitpur.
A report from Shahjahanpur said the traffic was blocked in the district with farmers camping at four different places.

Shahjahanpur’s Superintendent of Police S Anand said a large number of policemen have been deployed at important crossings and Sikh-dominated Puvayan tehsil.

The SP workers also blocked Kutchery road while BKU workers blocked the road but later the road was cleared on the intervention by District Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh and Superintendent of Police S Anand.

Protests were also held in Pilibhit with farmers hitting streets in the entire district and clashing with police at some places.

Yadvendra Singh Sodhi, a former general secretary of the district unit of the BJP Yuva Morcha and a member of its Regional Working Committee, reached Puranpur and announced his resignation from the party in the presence of farmers.

Samajwadi Party workers also held a protest in Gorakhpur, the Chief Minister's home district with the Congress workers too taking out a protest march in the city.

Eight people were killed on Sunday as violence erupted during farmers' protest in Lakhimpur Kheri, claiming the lives of both farmers and BJP workers ahead of a visit by UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Four of the dead were people in the cars, apparently a part of a convoy of BJP workers who had come to welcome the UP minister.

The violence had erupted after one of the cars of the convoy of BJP supporters turned turtle at the farmers’ protest site, killing two of the protesting farmers on the spot.