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Uttar Pradesh Police has filed an exhaustive chargesheet running into 5000 pages before the District Court in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case(s). The charge sheet was carried in a steel box to the court today. If the Court accepts the charge sheet filed, the trial in the case would commence.

Reportedly, Union Mishra Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra has been named as the prime accused. In the October 3 case, a total of 14 people have been made accused and out of those currently, 13 accused, including Mishra, are lodged in the district jail.

Importantly, the one accused who has not been arrested yet is a relative of Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra namely Virendra Shukla. As per media reports, Shukla is accused of hiding evidence.

On October 3, 2021, an unfortunate incident took place at Tikonia Banbirpur Road, District Lakhimpur Khiri,U.P where at least eight people were killed as violence broke out during a farmer's protest against Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya and Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra Visits.

It was alleged that the violence ensued in the area after the two SUVs, in the convoy of a union minister, allegedly ran over a group of farmers protesting against the anti-farm laws during the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM.

Recently, the Chief Investigator of the Special Investigation Team had written a letter to the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kheri. As per the letter, Ashish Mishra and 12 others' criminal act of rushing the car on protesting farmers was pre-planned and was done with an intention to kill. In the violent car incident, a total of 5 people died while several others got severely injured.

The letter had also sought Local Court's permission to invoke additional criminal including attempt to murder charges against Mishra and 12 others. The latter read that the act as done by the above-accused persons was not due to negligence or neglect, it was deliberate.

Last month, the Supreme Court had asked the Uttar Pradesh Government to reconstitute the SIT that is probing the matter. In pursuance of the same, IPS officers S.B.Shirodkar, Deepinder Singh and Padmaja Chauhan were also included in the team and Justice (Retd) Rakesh Kumar Jain of Punjab and Haryana High Court was appointed to monitor the investigation. 

This development had taken place after the Top Court had expressed its dissatisfaction in October with the way UP Police was investigating the matter. The Apex Court had noted that though there was a direct eye witness to the crime, still only notices were being issued to Mishra. 

However, a day later, Mishra had appeared before the Crime Branch Office at Lakhimpur Kheri on October 9, where he got arrested after nearly 12 hours of questioning. 

Recently, Mishra had moved Allahabad High Court with this bail plea following his bail rejection by the UP Local Court. The High Court has sought State's reply on Mishra's plea which is yet to be filed.