An independent fact finding report on the Oct 3, 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri incident was released today by a group of civil society members with fresh demands for the sacking of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni, broadening of the scope of the SIT investigation to include the September 2021 hate speeches made by the Minister, and the role of the police in the conspiracy among other things.Four farmers, a journalist and three men associated with the Bhartiya Janata Party were killed in the October 3, 2021 incident allegedly as part of a murder conspiracy in which Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra is the prime accused and is presently in judicial custody.An independent 11-member all India fact finding team comprising of members from organizations such as Association For Democratic Rights (AFDR) Punjab, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPRD) Tamil Nadu, Krantikari Lok Adhikar Sangathan (Uttar Pradesh) among others visited the site of the massacre from October 27 to 29, 2021 and held meetings with local people, the families of the farmers who died in the incident, lawyers, eyewitnesses including those who had recorded their statements under 164 of the CrPC and accessed the reports and videos available in the public domain.One of the key findings of the team is that the killings were not a result of spur-of-the moment violence or negligent driving as claimed by certain sections of the media but a purposive, pre-planned attack made with the cooperation of the police and led by Ajay Mishra’s son.“Our findings have been concurred by the SIT chargesheet which is a welcome sign, but just because the chargesheet incriminates the Mishra son, that does not mean Ajay Mishra is not able to manipulate the case anymore. As Minister of State for Home he continues to have over riding control over police and in a position to subvert justice. We must keep demanding for his resignation,” said Seema Azad from PUCL at an event at which the report was released.
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