A court here conducting the trial in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case in which Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son is an accused on Thursday recorded the statements of a witness produced by the prosecution.
As the trial started in the court of Additional District Judge-I Sunil Kumar Verma, the prosecution produced its witness Jagjeet Singh who is also a complainant in the case, District Government Counsel (criminal) Arvind Tripathi said.
Tripathi said statements of prosecution witness Jagjeet Singh were recorded after which the defense counsels started cross-examining him.
The court fixed January 23 as the next date of hearing in the case, when cross-examination would resume, the government counsel said.
On October 3, 2021, eight people were killed in \RTikunia in Lakhimpur Kheri district during violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against the then Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area.
Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV, in which Ashish Mishra was seated, according to the Uttar Pradesh Police FIR.
Following the incident, the driver and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence.
Two FIRs (number 219 and number 220) in connection with the violence were lodged.
Complainant Jagjeet Singh had lodged an FIR (number 219) in connection with the deaths of four farmers and a journalist implicating Union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra alias Monu as prime accused.
On December 6 last year, the trial court had framed charges against Ashish Mishra and 12 others for alleged offences of murder, criminal conspiracy and others in the case of mowing down of protesting farmers in October 2021 in Lakhimpur Kheri, paving the way for the start of the trial.
