- Rakesh Tikait’s actions come under scanner
- Second autopsy on Gurvinder Singh does not show bullet injury
- 4 bodies of the dead farmers cremated
- Ashish Mishra who allegedly the drove the car was not arrested
Is Rakesh Tikait, leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) a BJP agent? That is what some people feel after watching him compromise with authorities in the wake of death of eight persons on Saturday in Lakhimpur Kheri. However, there are equally eloquent sections which say that Tikait had helped keep the farmers’ movement going and he himself emerged as the unquestioned leader of the farmers’ community. The BJP governments in Lucknow and Delhi have been giving importance to the leader from the beginning of the year when he broke down at Ghazipur border. Tikait addressing the media in company with ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar was possible only after intervention by Yogi government in favour of a climbdown.
But Tikait insisting on compensation and not demanding the arrest of the son of Ajay Mishra, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, has been under the scanner. Tikait was not asking full justice by not reinforcing the demand for the arrest of the minister’s son. There is a feeling among agitating farmers that something has been going on at their back.
In the meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh and Punjab Bhupesh Baghel and Charanjit Singh Channi had visited the family of the farmers who were killed when the vehicle belonging to the minister ran over them. Rahul and Priyanka reached Palia village in Lakhimpur late in Wednesday evening and hugged the relatives of the victims and condoled the deaths. The Congress leaders were allowed to travel to Lakhimpur only after the bodies of the four farmers who were killed were disposed off.
On landing at Lucknow airport, Rahul sat on dharna for a while when the police insisted on using their vehicles instead of private vehicles to go to Lakhimpur. Rahul complained that a group of CRPF personnel was obstructing his movements. Then he left Luknow airport by a private car. He went to Sitapur where Priyanka was lodged in a private guest house since Monday. After she was released by the police, the brother and sister had driven to Lakhimpur Kheri.
Second autopsy was done on the body of Gurvinder Singh, one of the four farmers killed in the car incident, before he was cremated. The second autopsy report also did not make any mention of bullet injuries which were existing on the temple of the deceased, according to Gurvinder’s family members. The second panel of doctors that was flown to Lakhimpur for autopsy also gave similar report saying that Gurvinder died of internal bleeding after the car went over him. The family reiterated its charge that Ashish Misra, son of Ajay Mishra, had shot Gurvinder dead.
While the first FIR mentioned the name of Ashish Misra and others on charge of murder, the second FIR said some unidentified persons were responsible for murder. When asked if Ashish Mishra would be arrested to be questioned, the police officials did not give a direct reply. They said the investigations would pick up since the cremation of the bodies was over and the law and order is under control.
