Ajay Mishra's son named main accused in 5,000-page chargesheet in Lakhimpur case

Lucknow: The Special Investigation Team probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case Monday filed a nearly 5,000-page chargesheet in the case. Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni, has been named as an accused in the violence case.

Sources told Times Now that Ashish Mishra has been named as the prime accused. Mishra is already under arrest in the case.

Further, the number of accused in the case has increased to 14 as another name has been added.

"Name of one more person, Virendra Shukla, has been added in the chargesheet. He has been charged under Section 201 of IPC," the prosecution lawyer said.

A total of eight people were killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident which took place during a farmers' protest against the now-repealed three controversial farm laws. Among the dead were four farmers, a journalist, two BJP workers and a driver.

Among the accused are Ashish Mishra and former Union minister Akhilesh Das’s nephew Ankit Das.

Apart from Virendra Shukla, all the 13 other accused, including drivers of three SUVs and associates of Mishra and Das, are under arrest and are currently being kept at the Lakhimpur Kheri jail. It was not clear whether Shukla is under arrest or not.

While the Allahabad High Court is yet to take a call on the bail application of Ashish Mishra, the bail pleas of the other accused are pending before a local court in Lakhimpur Kheri.

The SIT had recently requested a local court to add two charges in the case – attempt to murder and voluntarily causing grievous hurt – against Ashish Mishra and the 12 other previously-named accused. The court had admitted the SIT's plea and ordered the addition of the charges, including under sections of the Arms Act.

The SIT had said in a report submitted to the court that the four farmers and the journalist were killed in the October 3 violence as part of a "pre-planned conspiracy".

The SIT wrote in the report that the deaths “did not happen due to negligence or callousness” and that the accused persons' actions were “deliberate with an intention to kill”.