Lakhimpur Kheri (UP):No politician will be allowed to share the stage with farmer leaders at the Tuesday 'antim ardas' prayers for the four farmers who were killed in the violence here on October 3, a BKU-Tikait office bearer said.
Preparations for the 'antim ardas' (final prayers) are underway at a field, away from the spot where the violence took place in Tikonia village in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
"The 'antim ardas' for all the deceased farmers will be held on Tuesday at Tikonia," BKU-Tikait's district president Amandeep Singh Sandhu said on Monday.
On whether politicians will be part of the prayers, BKU-Tikait district vice president Balkar Singh said, "No political leader will be allowed to share the stage where only Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders will be present."
The SKM is an umbrella organisation of farmer unions and it is spearheading the protest against three farm laws, which were enacted last year.
"Farmers and leaders of various farm unions from various states and districts of Uttar Pradesh will participate in the 'ardas' and 'bhog' programme in Tikonia," Sandhu said, adding that "no other programme apart from the 'antim ardas' and the 'bhog' has been communicated so far."
Eight people died in the October 3 violence and of them, four were farmers, allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers. Infuriated farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles. The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver.
Farmers claimed that Union Minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra was in one of the vehicles, an allegation denied by him and his father who say they can produce evidence to prove he was at an event at that time.