Lucknow: Three days after the announcement for a judicial probe, the Uttar Pradesh government Thursday has deputed Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court, to investigate the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which nine persons lost their lives.
The judicial commission will have its office in Lakhimpur Kheri and it is expected to submit its report within two months.
The state government on October 4 had announced that it would appoint a retired high court judge to ensure an impartial probe into the violence in which Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni's son Ashish is an accused.
As many as eight people died in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident on Sunday, said Uttar Pradesh police.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of several farmer unions, had alleged that Ashish Mishra Teni, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni arrived with three vehicles around the time that farmers were dispersing from their protest at the helipad and mowed down farmers and towards the end also attacked SKM leader Tajinder Singh Virk directly, by trying to run a vehicle over him.
However, Ashish Mishra refuted SKM's allegations and said he was not present at the spot where the incident took place.
Teni went on record saying that his son was not present at the spot, adding that some miscreants mingled with protesting farmers and pelted the stones at the car which lead to the 'unfortunate incident'.
Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said MoS Home Ajay Mishra's son has not yet been arrested in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case even though evidence pointed to his role in the incident. "As fingers are raised towards MoS (Ajay Mishra) in the BJP government, the accused in Lakhimpur case are not yet sent to jail," Yadav, who is visiting Lakhimpur to meet the aggrieved families, told reporters here outside his residence.
