Two more detained in Lakhimpur Kheri violence

A vehicle set ablaze after a BJP convoy mowed down protesting farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. Pic/PTI

The Lakhimpur Kheri police has detained the driver of Ankit Das, the nephew of former Congress MP late Akhilesh Das, in connection with the death of four farmers who were mowed down by a vehicle belonging to Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni.

He was reportedly driving the vehicle in the convoy, which was just behind Mishra's SUV. The driver is also accused of helping Ankit Das escape from the spot. Meanwhile, another aide of Mishra, said to be present at the scene of crime, was also detained. Senior police officers did not disclose the names of the accused saying they had not been arrested and are being questioned.

Ankit's uncle Akhilesh Das was a Congress MP and the national general secretary of BSP. He passed away in 2017. Ankit is said to be a close associate of Ashish Mishra and his father. An official said the name of Ankit Das surfaced after a video went viral a day after the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri.

In the video, a man, having injuries on his head, is seen claiming that he was in the second SUV with Das. A policeman is also spotted in the video who is holding a microphone and asking the injured man about the incident. He tells cops that the vehicle belonged to Ankit Das. The injured man is heard telling cops that he lives in Charbagh area in Lucknow and had accompanied Ankit Das to Kheri for work.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever