Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, will be prosecuted . Mishra is accused of killing four farmers and a journalist in Lakhimpur Kheri last year .
Lucknow: During a protest in Uttar Pradeshs Lakhimpur Kheri last year against the now-repealed farm laws, Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, will be prosecuted.The trial began on December 16th.Mishra's discharge request was denied on October 3 by the court.Mishra is reportedly in an SUV that pulled over four farmers and a journalist in Lakhimpur Kheri, according to the police chargesheet.
The incident sparked a storm of outrage against the ruling BJP, where the government was accused of shielding Ajay Mishra, the junior Home Minister.Following the killings, a statement by Union Minister Ashish Mishra made the rounds in the aftermath of the killings, in which he allegedly threatened to fix farmers in two minutes if they did not prevent the agitation.Many people called for his resignation.In February, the Allahabad High Court granted him bail, sparking concerns over the police investigation. The court argued that the victims were denied a fair and effective hearing in the Allahabad High Court, and that the high court had taken a pessimistic view of the evidence.Ashish Mishra and the other accused argued that they were wrongly accused in the discharge plea presented to the Lakhimpur court.The court dismissed the defendants' pleas.