Lakhimpur violence: Hearing on bail pleas of three accused deferred

The Lakhimpur Kheri district and sessions court on Thursday deferred the hearing on the bail applications of three accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case to November 30.

The three—Rinku Rana, Dharmendra Banjara and Ullas Trivedi alias Mohit—are among the 13 accused in the first FIR (number 219), related to the death of four farmers and a journalist, lodged at Tikunia Kotwali on October 3. The October 3 violence had claimed eight lives under Tikunia police station limits of Lakhimpur Kheri.

Confirming it, district government counsel (DGC), criminal, Arvind Tripathi said when the case was put up before the court of district and sessions judge Mukesh Mishra for hearing, the prosecution urged the court to grant them some more time to complete the case diary as some forensic reports related to the case were still awaited from the forensic science laboratory.

Tripathi further said considering the request of the prosecution, district and sessions judge Mukesh Mishra deferred the hearing till Nov 30. Earlier on November 2, the court of chief judicial magistrate Chinta Ram had rejected the bail applications of these accused. The three accused were arrested by the special investigating officers on October 23 on the suspicion of their involvement in the violence.

Union minister of state for home Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra is the main accused in the case. The UP government had formed a nine-member special investigation committee to probe the Tikunia violence, in which two FIRs (219 & 220) were lodged.

The investigators have so far arrested 17 people— 13 in FIR number 219 and four in the FIR number 220. Moreover, the government has also formed a single member judicial commission of inquiry, headed by Allahabad high court justice (retd) Pradeep Kumar Srivastava who is camping in Lakhimpur Kheri.