A local court on Wednesday deferred the hearing on the bail applications of union minister Ajay Mishra Teni’s son, Ashish Mishra, the main accused in the October 3 violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri that left eight people dead, and co-accused Ashish Pandey and Lavkush Rana until November 15.
The violence was triggered after a car ran over a group of protesting farmers. Farmers have alleged Teni’s Mahindra Thar mowed down protesters from behind while they were returning from a demonstration. A video clip that is yet to be authenticated forensically shows the same.
The minister and his son have denied the charge that Ashish Mishra was in the vehicle.
District government counsel Arvind Tripathi said the court deferred the hearing after the prosecution urged it to give it 15 more days as some forensic reports were still awaited. He added judge Mukesh Mishra accordingly scheduled the next hearing for November 15.
Defence lawyer Awadhesh Dubey moved an application in the court seeking an explanation as to how Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker Shyam Sundar Nishad, who was purportedly seen in a photo in police custody, died. Nishad was among the four allegedly killed after the farmers were mowed down.
Tripathi said the prosecution objected to the photo, which was yet to be verified. He added the court called for a status report in this regard.
Ashish Mishra, Ashish Pandey, and Lavkush Rana are among the 13 accused, who has been arrested in the case so far and are in judicial custody. A separate case has been filed in connection with the death of two BJP workers in the October 3 violence.