Ashish Mishra, accused in Lakhimpur Kheri violence, denied bail: Ashish Mishra's close friend appears before SIT

The court also remanded Shekhar Bharti, arrested on Tuesday, in police custody for three days

Ashish Mishra.: File picture

TT Bureau, PTI   |   Lucknow, New Delhi   |   13.10.21: Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, was denied bail by a court here on Wednesday in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

Senior prosecution officer (SPO) SP Yadav told PTI that Chief Judicial Magistrate Chinta Ram rejected the bail applications of Ashish Mishra and his alleged accomplice Ashish Pandey.

Ashish Mishra, who was arrested on October 9 by the special investigation team after 12 hours of questioning, had been sent to three days in police custody from Tuesday.

The court also remanded Shekhar Bharti, arrested on Tuesday, in police custody for three days.

Police have so far arrested four people in connection with the case -- Ashish Mishra, Luvkush, Ashish Pandey and Bharti.

One Ankit Das, who is said to be a close friend of Ashish Mishra, appeared before the SIT at the crime branch office in Lakhimpur earlier in the day.

The investigators had summoned Das for questioning in connection with the October 3 violence that had left eight people, including four farmers, dead.

Das is the nephew of former minister Akhilesh Das and the black SUV which allegedly knocked down the four farmers is said to be owned by him.

At around 11 AM, Das along with a team of lawyers arrived at the crime branch office in the reserved police lines area, the police said.

On Tuesday, Das and one other identified as Latif had moved an application for surrender before the chief judicial magistrate.

Earlier on Wednesday, a Congress delegation including former party president Rahul Gandhi, met President Ram Nath Kovind demanding the immediate dismissal of Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, and an impartial judicial probe by two sitting judges of the Supreme Court.

The delegation of senior Congress leaders also presented a memorandum of facts about the Lakhimpur Kheri incident to the President.

Gandhi told reporters after the meeting that he conveyed to the President that the MoS Home should resign to ensure an impartial probe in the Lakhimpur violence as his son Ashish is an accused in the matter.

"There cannot be an impartial inquiry and justice cannot be given till the time the MoS Home is sacked. This is the voice of not just the families of those killed but of all the farmers and this voice is being suppressed," he said.

The Congress delegation included A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Asked whether they have received any assurances from the president, Priyanka Gandhi claimed, "he (President) has assured us that he will talk to to the government in this regard today itself".

The Congress memorandum said the situation is unlikely to change without any intervention given that BJP leaders, including UP CM Yogi Adityanath, continue to make conciliatory statements towards Ajay Mishra.

The party hoped that the President will treat this matter with the urgency it deserves and take appropriate action.