Farmers Demand Arrest of India Minister Ajay Mishra in Murder Case
Farmers are performing antim ardas (final rites) prayers of the farmers who were killed by the running cars.
By Rakesh Raman
Protesting farmers in India have reiterated their demand to arrest Ajay Mishra, India’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Mishra is accused of a conspiracy to murder at least four farmers and another person on October 3 at Lakhimpur Kheri in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) state.
It is alleged that peaceful farmers were run over by a car in the Minister’s convoy, driven by his son Ashish Mishra. The police have filed a case of murder against Ashish Mishra who was arrested on October 9. But Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) farm leaders who are spearheading the farm protests have demanded the dismissal and arrest of Minister Ajay Mishra also.
Today (October 12), farmers are performing antim ardas (final rites) prayers of the farmers who were killed by the running cars that belonged to Mishras. They say they will expand their agitation in other parts of the country to demand the arrest of the Minister who is allegedly a history-sheeter with multiple criminal cases filed against him in the past.
According to The Indian Express, prime minister Narendra Modi will decide on Ajay Mishra’s resignation once the police probe is completed.
Farmers – mainly from Punjab, Haryana, and UP states – have been protesting since November 2020 against the three farm laws recently announced by the Modi government. Their demands also include the legal guarantee by the government to give a minimum support price (MSP) for certain crops.
However, the Modi government has refused to accept farmers’ demands. Farmers allege that the murder of farm protesters at Lakhimpur Kheri is a deliberate attempt by the government to disrupt the peaceful protests.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
