Protesters ‘run over’ in UP: Farmers to stage stir outside DM offices across country on Monday

New Delhi, October 3

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a protest outside the offices of district magistrates and divisional commissioners across the country on Monday over two SUVs allegedly running over protesters in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri, farmer leaders Yogendra Yadav and Darshan Pal Singh said on Sunday.

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They also demanded a probe into the incident by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court and not by the Uttar Pradesh administration.

“To express our agitation against Sunday’s incident, the SKM calls for a protest outside the offices of district magistrates and divisional commissioners across the country between 10 am and 1 pm,” Singh said.

The farmer leaders alleged that Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son was in one of the SUVs.

“We demand that Union Minister of State for Home and Khiri MP Ajay Kumar Mishra be immediately dismissed from his post. A case under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the IPC should be registered against the minister’s son and other goons,” Singh and Yadav said at a virtual press conference.

They claimed that at least four farmers were killed in the incident and appealed to the protesters to maintain calm.

Violence broke out after two SUVs allegedly ran over a group of anti-farm law protesters who were demonstrating against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya at the Tikonia-Banbirpur road here on Sunday.

Unconfirmed reports said a number of farmers were seriously injured in the incident.

Angry protesters allegedly forced the two vehicles to stop and set them ablaze. They also allegedly thrashed some passengers of the vehicles.

The farmers had assembled there to oppose Maurya’s visit to Banbirpur, the native village of Mishra.

The SKM, an umbrella body of over 40 farm unions, is spearheading a protest at Delhi’s borders against three agriculture laws of the Centre. PTI

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