Lakhimpur-Kheri Violence: Main Accused Ashish Mishra Released From Jail

Ashish Mishra, the son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, who was the main accused in the Lakhimper Kheri violence, was released from jail on Tuesday.

He was arrested last year in October after a vehicle in which he was allegedly travelling, mowed down a group of protesting farmers leaving four people dead and several others injured. One of the deceased was a journalist.

The incident happened when farmer protests were raging across the country. His arrival along with his father had in the city in Uttar Pradesh was met with protests from farmers.

Mishra was released from jail after the completion of his bail formalities, Lakhimpur Kheri Jail Superintendent PP Singh said. He was named the prime accused by a special investigation team (SIT) in its charge sheet submitted to the court.

A group of farmers were returning from a protest against the contentious farm laws, which since have been repealed, in Lakhimpur Kheri’s Tikunia village when they were run over by an SUV, allegedly belonging to the Union minister’s convoy and was carrying his son on October 3, 2021.

Violent protests erupted following the incident with heavy police force being deployed in the region and internet services being snapped. The issue soon gripped the country with the supreme court of India on several occasions expressing its displeasure at the way the case was handled by the authorities.

The matter was also highly politicised with the opposition sympathizing with the victims and demanding the stepping down of Union minister Ajay Mishra from his position.

Notably, following the incident, Ashish Mishra skipped several hearings and was finally produced to court on October 9. He was then sent to three day police custody.

In between he was also shifted to district hospital in Lakhimpur Kheri after testing positive for dengue.

The SIT that was formed to investigate into the incident mentioned several times that it was a well-planned and a deliberate act, naming Ashish Mishra as the key accused.

On February 10, 2022, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to Ashish Mishra in the case, questioning some of the charges listed by the police, including firing at protestors. He was then released from jail today after all the formalities were completed.