UP Violence: SIT Arrests Driver Of 1 SUV Convoy Running Over Protesters

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday arrested 1 driver of one of the SUVs that was part of the convoy which ran over a group of protesting farmers on October 3.

This arrested was done while probing the killing of eight people in Lakhimpur Kheri on Tuesday, said Police.

While four protesters and allegedly a journalist were run over, three others were killed in the subsequent violence.

The police said that accused, Shekhar Bharti, was behind the wheel of one of three vehicles involved in the incident.

They said it was owned by Ankit Das, a close aide of Ashish Mishra, Union minister Ajay Mishra's son, and nephew of former Rajya Sabha MP and UPA minister Akhilesh Das, police said.

On Tuesday, the SIT also took custody of Ashish Mishra, who is lodged in Lakhimpur Kheri jail. A local court had on Monday sent Ashish on three-day police custody.

In the morning of Tuesday, Ashish was brought to Lakhimpur Kheri Crime Branch office for interrogation.

The SIT had decided to "confront" him with witnesses and question him at length on any conspiracy behind the incident. The SIT claims that more people may be called for questioning if they come across any conspiracy during investigation.

Besides Ashish, and now Shekhar Bharti, the two others arrested are Luvkush Pandey and Ashish Pandey.