Lakhimpur case: SIT wrote Uttar Pradesh government to move SC for cancelation of bail of Ashish Mishra

The SIT probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence that had left eight people including four farmers dead wrote twice to the Uttar Pradesh government urging it to file an appeal in the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of bail to Ashish Mishra son of Union minister Ajay Mishra in the caseThe revelation has been made in a report which was filed by Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court who is monitoring the special investigation team SIT probe into the violence in the apex courtA special bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana meanwhile on Monday reserved its verdict on a separate plea by farmers seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Ashish Mishra in the caseThe head of SIT wrote to the Additional Chief Secretary Home Department Uttar Pradesh on February 10 and February 14 2022 respectively requesting an urgent appeal in the Supreme Court for cancellation of bail of the accused in view of the ongoing investigation and the possibility of the threat to the witnesses including 98 witnesses who are provided protection in view of the order dated October 26 2021 passed by this Honble Court Justice Jain said in the reportA singlejudge bench of the high court on February 10 had granted bail to Mishra who had spent four months in custodyThe report also said the SIT has recorded 208 statements of complainant eyewitnesses injured persons and formal witnesses and the process of framing charges against the accused is going on in the District and Sessions judge at LakhimpurThe top court on November 17 last year had appointed Justice Jain to monitor the probe by Uttar Pradesh SIT which had also got three IPS officers who were not natives of the stateIn the reconstituted SIT the top court had ordered the induction of IPS officers S B Shiradkar Padmaja Chauhan and Preetinder SinghShiradkar an IPS officer of the 1993 batch from Maharashtra who was then serving as ADG Intelligence in Uttar Pradesh was asked to head the SIT which was also asked to file a report before the apex courtThe SIT in its report also said that the presence of key accused Ashish Mishra and others at the scene of the crime is substantiatedThirteen accused had gone to the scene of the crime in a premeditated manner using three vehicles in a convoy and driving them at a very high speed on a narrow road that was full of people gathered to protest it saidThe report referred to the fact that the administration had changed the route of the Deputy Chief Minister in view of the protest and Mishra and other accused were aware of the decision it saidReferring to the probe the report said the accused escaped by firing their weapons in the air to scare away the protestors after the commission of the offence and the forensic reports confirm the use of firearmsIt also said that in compliance with the apex courts direction 98 witnesses were provided security by the state policeStatements of 99 witnesses before judicial magistrates under section 164 of the CrPC were recorded by the SIT the report saidOn October 3 last year eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri during violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Mauryas visit to the areaFour farmers were mowed down by an SUV in which Ashish Mishra was seated according to the UP Police FIR Following the incident the driver and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmersA journalist also died in the violence that triggered outrage among opposition parties and farmer groups agitating over the Centres nowrepealed agricultural reform lawsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever