Navjot Sidhu on indefinite fast at slain scribe’s house

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

Lakhimpur Kheri, October 8

The Uttar Pradesh Police and administration came in for a surprise this evening with PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu declaring an indefinite fast until junior Home Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, accused in a murder cases related to the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, either joined probe or was nabbed.

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Moments after emerging from a condolence meeting he had with the family of journalist Raman Kashyap, 35, one of the five deceased in the Sunday violence, Sidhu laid on a cot in the compound of the Kashyap family home, surprising everyone. The brother of the deceased, Pawan Kashyap, said Sidhu had taken the family into confidence over the move.

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• Expressing sympathy with the families of the Lakhimpur Kheri victims, the SGPC handed over a cheque for Rs5 lakh each to them. SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur, who was part of a joint delegation of the SGPC and the SAD, met the families of the deceased
• She handed over the cheques to the kin of the victims. She also offered to make arrangements for the education of the children of the deceased. Meanwhile, Rs2.5 lakh were also given to the mother and wife of the deceased journalist

Ample evidence

There’s ample evidence of Ashish’s role, but he’s not being arrested as he is a minister’s son. —Navjot Singh Sidhu, PCC chief

“He is doing it for us. He came all the way to meet us. This is the least we can do,” Kashyap told The Tribune as locals discussed probable repercussions of the move as the UP Police deployed cops at the house barring general entry. Hour before sitting on fast, Sidhu had, after meeting the family of another victim Lovpreet Singh, said the killings were a barbaric crime and the whole country was awaiting justice. “Justice delayed is justice denied. There’s ample evidence from videos and eyewitnesses of the involvement of Ashish in the crime. He’s not being arrested because he’s a minister’s son,” said Sidhu.

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Punjab politics played out in Lakhimpur Kheri all day today with rivals Congress and SAD meeting kin of Lovpreet and Kashyap separately.

The Akali delegation comprised Prem Singh Chandumajra, Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Bikram Majithia and SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur. After meeting four farmers who died on Sunday, Harsimrat demanded the sacking of the MoS Home and arrest of his son.

In the evening, speaking for Sidhu who took a pledge of silence in protest against UP Police inaction, Punjab minister Vijay Inder Singla said the government’s brazenness needed be exposed.

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“The families of those who died are in pain and anger at the travesty of justice. We visited two families since morning and both are in agony. Our state president has decided to commence a fast to make the UP administration move. Farmers have been killed. We demand justice and will not relent until Ashish Mishra is taken in by the police,” said Singla after the Punjab Congress delegation, also comprising Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Kuljit Nagra arrived in Lakhimpur Kheri after a 36-hour wait.

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They were yesterday stopped at the Saharanpur border before finally being allowed to proceed under heavy police deployment. Police convoys followed Sidhu and other Punjab Congress leaders wherever they went today.

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