What happened in Lakhimpur Kheri: Sequence of events according to both sides
Eight people were killed in the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri. Protests began after that, following which the state government started negotiations with the farmers. The two sides reached a conclusion after the government agreed to listen to all the demands of the farmers.
The violence in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri has opposition parties up in arms. They have been attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in the state and at the Centre, demanding justice for the farmers who were killed during Sunday's violence.
The farmers claim that a a car from convoy belonging to Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni's son Ashish ran over the protesters in Tikonia area who were coming back after holding a demonstration against Centre's three farm laws. The minister has denied these allegations and instead claimed that the protesters started pelting stones due to which the driver of the car lost balance and this incident happened.
Here is the sequence of events and the two versions of the incident:
8am: Around 300 farmers reach Tikonia, a village in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district roughly 70km from the district headquarters, to protest against a visit bydeputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
10am: Protesters said they entered the local playground and attempted to take over the helipad. They claimed that Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra Teni, was present at the spot.
Ashish, however, said he was not present at the site of the incident and was attending another event in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri town, roughly 100km away.
2.30pm: Protesters claimed that a convoy of three SUVs linked to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders made their way from Lakhimpur to Tikonia. The farmers say that an SUV being driven by Ashish Mishra knocked down four protesters.
Union minister Ajay Mishra said his son was nowhere near the site of the incident. He said that farmers started pelting stones at the cars, one of which hit a driver and he lost control of the car, and it overturned.
4pm: Violence erupted in Tikonia by this time. Farmers said that supporters of Ashish Mishra shot dead one person. They claimed that the others were mowed down by SUVs in Ashish Mishra's cavalcade.
Ajay Mishra, however, denied all charges and said his son was not present at the spot. "Neither I nor my son was present at the spot when the violence broke out. Our car was diverted to a different route," he told reporters.
Eight people were killed in the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri. Protests began after that, following which the state government started negotiations with the farmers. The two sides reached a conclusion after the government agreed to listen to all the demands of the farmers.
