The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3 has submitted an application with the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) to add new provisions to the criminal code against the 13 accused, making their offence punishable as attempted murder. The SIT investigating officer, Vidhyaram Diwakar, filed a plea in the CJM’s court last week to replace sections 279, 338, and 304A of the IPC with new sections in the warrant.
The investigating officer stated in his application that the occurrence was well-planned and premeditated, rather than the result of negligence or callousness.
After replacing sections 279 (Rash driving or riding on a public way), 338 (Whoever causes grievous hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently), and 304A (Causing death by negligence), the investigating officer has requested that sections 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code be added.On October 3, eight people, including four protesting farmers, died after being mowed down by a SUV belonging to Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra.
The SIT has so far arrested Ashish Mishra, Luvkush, Ashish Pandey, Shekhar Bharti, Ankit Das, Latif, Sishupal, Nandan Singh, Satyam Tripathi, Sumit Jaiswal, Dharmendra Banjara, Rinku Rana and Ullas Trivedi.
Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench has allowed the state government two weeks to file a counter-affidavit on Ashish Mishra’s bail application. Additional advocate general Vinod Shahi informed the court about the ongoing investigation at the case’s hearing.
