Lakhimpur Kheri case: Farmers remain enraged by Mishra’s bail

Lakhimpuri
Representational Image

Protests sprung up in Punjab and parts of Uttar Pradesh on February 12, 2022 following bail and furlough orders to Lakhimpur Kheri massacre accused Ashish Mishra and Dera Saccha Sauda’s Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Earlier, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to the main accused Mishra to the surprise of farmer unions’ umbrella body Samyukta Kisan Morcha. Leaders questioned the bail order that was passed on the first day of UP assembly elections. They claim there was no clear evidence absolving Mishra, and thus he did not deserve bail.

“The brutal case of four farmers and a journalist being crushed to death in broad daylight by the son of a Union Minister was a trial for the rule of law across India,” said the SKM. Leaders like Hannan Mollah, Ashish Mittal and a survivor of the October 3, 2021 incident expressed rage and dismay at what they all considered a politically motivated move.

Farmers in northern India rose in protest against this decision. In Haryana, farmers held demonstrations against an event in Karnala where Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was to be present. Punjab farmers also joined in support and strengthened their social boycott of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Farmers also condemned the 21-day furlough of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh convicted for the sexual assault of Sadhvis and the murder of a local journalist and Dera follower. Leaders and experts claimed that Singh got his temporary release due to election season. The Dera community often gives space for political events to parties and expressed anger at Singh’s continued imprisonment.

However, Punjab farmer leader Jagmohan Singh said that the prime cause of farmers’ anger was Ashish Mishra’s bail at a time when seven farmers face charges in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. “The SIT in its report said that the incident was a conspiracy. Mishra was charged accordingly and still he got bail. Then what about the seven farmers facing Section 302? Why aren’t they given bail? Whatever their actions, they acted in self-defence. Yet the person facing conspiracy charges is released,” he said. Though he did not blame the judiciary, he laid the brunt of the blame on the ruling BJP-government, condemning the whole incident as a “dirty game”.

Meanwhile, the SKM took note of the High Court’s suspicion that the driver must have driven the vehicle over the crowd in panic. It also pointed out the court’s “unwarranted” comments on the farmers agitation without any context. “The court granting bail to Ashish Mishra without considering the firm possibility of a politically powerful accused influencing the witnesses is extremely disappointing,” said the SKM.

Like Jagmohan Singh, other leaders said that the UP police has been negligent in investigating this case and apprehending the accused. SKM said the order blurred farmers’ hopes for a fair investigation and justice in this heinous murder case.

Taking the matter as a question of farmers’ honour, the SKM demanded that an appeal be filed against this decision. It promised to cooperate with victims’ families in filing the appeal after talking to the country’s leading lawyers. Moreover, it appealed to the people of UP to “punish the BJP which is bent on saving the real culprits of this massacre, by casting vote against it.”

Earlier, a survivor voiced worries about their security after Mishra’s bail. This worry was reiterated by another survivor originally from Uttarakhand. They questioned the rationality in allowing a person who allegedly murdered so many people to be out on bail within four months.

Like the survivors, Uttarakhand farmers supporting the farmers protest also expressed anger at the bail decision. According to sources, farmers have resolved to further strengthen their Mission Uttarakhand and visit people at the ground level. Farmers are also distributing pamphlets and asking people to punish the party for farmer grievances.

Similarly, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) reacted to the court order by saying, “It was he [Ashish] and his BJP goons who mowed down five people in cold blood under their cars. This extremely unfortunate High Court judgement is not only a gross miscarriage of justice, but goes against every recognised norm of justice.”

AIKS General Secretary Hannan Mollah and President Ashok Dhawale condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for dismissing farmers’ long-standing demand to remove Ashish’s father Ajay Mishra from the Union Cabinet.

“Although over four months have passed after this horrific massacre, Modi and Shah have thrown all political morality to the winds, and have shamelessly retained a murderer-cum-conspirator Ajay Mishra as a Union Minister,” said Dhawale.

For all these failings, farmer leaders called upon all farmers and people of UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur to redouble their determination and increase efforts to defeat the anti-people, pro-corporate, communal BJP in the coming state assembly elections.