lakhimpur Kheri | SabrangIndia

Lakhimpur Kheri: Postmortem confirms Dalit sisters were raped before murder

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 07:06:58 +0000

Image Courtesy: newindianexpress.com/

The postmortem report of the bodies of the two Dalit sisters who were found dead in a Lakhimpur Kheri village on Wednesday, confirms their family’s suspicion that they were sexually assaulted before being killed, reported News 18. The channel said, that the autopsy report accessed by it “confirms rape and strangulation of victims.” The Scroll reports that according to the postmortem report, the sisters died “due to asphyxia as a result of antemortem strangulation.”

The sisters’ bodies had been discovered hanging from a tree on Wednesday. The girls were minors aged 15 and 17. Their parents had alleged that they had been abducted and raped before murder. Indian Express had quoted their mother as saying, “I went inside the house for some work. On return, I saw three youths forcibly taking away my daughters on a motorcycle. I ran after the motorcycle but failed to catch them.” A local villager discovered the bodies hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field in Tamoleen Purva village, located about half a kilometer from their home.

Villagers had also held a protest on Wednesday evening in the Nighasen area after the bodies were discovered. The case brought back memories of both, the Hathras case where a Dalit teenager was raped in a field, and the 2014 Badaun case where bodies of two Dalit girls were discovered hanging from a tree.

So far, six persons have been arrested. Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Suman revealed their names at a press conference on Thursday evening – Chotu, Junaid, Sohail, Hafizul, Karimuddin and Arif. According to India Today, the accused have been booked under IPC sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 452 (house trespass for assault), 376 (rape) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. India Today reports that five out of the six were remanded to 14 days judicial custody on Friday. Junaid, who had tried to escape and was caught after being shot in the leg by the police, will be presented before the court later.

NDTV reported that according to the police, Chotu was not involved directly in the crime, but was their neighbour and had introduced the girls to the assailants. But the police have contradicted the family’s abduction claims and say that the girls went willingly with Sohail and Junaid, who then sexually assaulted them in the sugarcane field. The publication quoted the SP as saying, “The girls were raped in the fields. When they insisted that the men marry them, the men strangled them with their dupattas.” Hafizul allegedly helped strangle and kill the girls. “Then they called Karimuddin and Arif for help with covering up the crime. They hung the bodies from the tree to make it look like suicide,” he added.

News 18 reports that the bodies of the girls were buried in a field near their home late on Thursday evening as the community does not cremate minors. The family members had initially refused to perform their last rites until their demands of a compensation of Rs 1 crore, a government job for the girls’ brother, and death penalty for the accused, were fulfilled. The family has been assured of a trial in a fast-track court.

The post Lakhimpur Kheri: Postmortem confirms Dalit sisters were raped before murder appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Lakhimpur Kheri: Bodies of two sisters found hanging from a tree

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 06:28:53 +0000

Image Courtesy: indiatoday.in

In a shocking incident that is reminiscent of not one but two previous instances of Dalit girls being victimized, the bodies of two sisters hailing from a Scheduled Caste were found hanging from a tree in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur district. Though sexual assault has not been confirmed so far, as the autopsy reports are still awaited, Jagran reports that the family has alleged that the girls were abducted and raped before being killed.

The case is thus being compared to the Hathras case.

2. यह घटना यूपी में कानून-व्यवस्था व महिला सुरक्षा आदि के मामले में सरकार के दावों की जबर्दस्त पोल खोलती है। हाथरस सहित ऐसे जघन्य अपराधों के मामलों में ज्यादातर लीपापोती होने से ही अपराधी बेखौफ हैं। यूपी सरकार अपनी नीति, कार्यप्रणाली व प्राथमिकताओं में आवश्यक सुधार करे। 2/2

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) September 15, 2022

निघासन पुलिस थाना क्षेत्र में 2 दलित बहनों को अगवा करने के बाद उनकी हत्या और उसके बाद पुलिस पर पिता का ये आरोप बेहद गंभीर है कि बिना पंचनामा और सहमति के उनका पोस्टमार्टम किया गया।

लखीमपुर में किसानों के बाद अब दलितों की हत्या ‘हाथरस की बेटी’ हत्याकांड की जघन्य पुनरावृत्ति है। pic.twitter.com/gFmea4bAUc

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) September 14, 2022

It is also similar to the Badaun case where the bodies of two Dalit girls were found hanging from a tree in May 2014. In that case too, the girls were minors.

What happened in Lakhimpur Kheri?

The incident took place in the Nighasan area of Lakhimpur Kheri on Wednesday. According to Jagran, the girls were aged 14 and 17, and were thus minors. Indian Express reports that a local villager discovered the bodies hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field in Tamoleen Purva village, located about half a kilometer from their home. Following this the family of the girls and angry villagers blocked roads demanding justice for the girls. The family of the girls has alleged that the girls were abducted three hours before their bodies were discovered.

The mother told media persons that she was sitting outside the house with the two girls at around 2 P.M. The publication quoted the girls’ mother as saying, “I went inside the house for some work. On return, I saw three youths forcibly taking away my daughters on a motorcycle. I ran after the motorcycle but failed to catch them.”

Four people have been arrested in connection with the case so far. Additional SP Arun Kumar Singh told the publication, “Four accused in the matter have been taken into custody. Interrogation is underway.”

However, India Today reports that the number of arrests has gone up to six. According to the publication, the girls were being pressured to marry two of the accused, who then raped them with four other accomplices.

Uttar Pradesh’s track record w.r.t crimes against people from Scheduled Castes

The incident has sent shockwaves across the state where crimes against Dalits have been on the rise. According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Uttar Pradesh has one of the highest rates of crimes against people hailing from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled tribes. In 2019, UP reported 11,829 cases out of the total national figure of 45,961, thus accounting for over 25 percent of all crimes against people hailing from Scheduled Castes in India.

Shockingly, even a deadly global pandemic like Covid could not bring the numbers down, because as per NCRB’s data for 2020, out of the 50,291 cases of crimes against people from Scheduled Castes, 12,714 were recorded from Uttar Pradesh. This once again accounts for over a quarter of all crimes against SCs across India.

According to the latest report titled Crime In India 2021, while the national figure for cases of crimes against people hailing from Scheduled Castes stands at 50,900, the number of cases reported from Uttar Pradesh stands at 13,146. Again, Uttar Pradesh accounts for over 25 percent of all crimes against people from Scheduled Castes in the country.

The post Lakhimpur Kheri: Bodies of two sisters found hanging from a tree appeared first on SabrangIndia.

BREAKING: SC cancels Ashish Mishra’s bail

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 06:48:28 +0000

A small relief to Lakhimpur Kheri violence witnesses after the Supreme Court today cancelled main accused Ashish Mishra’s bail. According to the Bar and Bench, the matter has been remanded back to the Allahabad High Court for fresh consideration.

A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, said Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son will have to surrender before the police within a week. Mishra is accused of killing four farmers and a local journalist during the October 3, 2021, violence in Tikonia village. Three more people also died in the violence.

Following his bail in February amidst Uttar Pradesh elections, two witnesses in the district survived assaults and faced death threats. Voicing concerns about the bail, they approached the apex court to appeal against the High Court order. Justice Kant said this was in view of the fact that families of the deceased were denied chance of effective hearing before the Allahabad High Court.

“The denial of victims to be heard and the tearing hurry shown by the High Court merits the setting aside of bail order. Thus, we remand the matter back to High Court for fresh consideration of the bail application of the accused,” the Supreme Court directed, as per the Bar and Bench.

Kant further said that a victim of a crime has the unbridled participatory right in the criminal trial process i.e., they have a right to be involved in decisions that affect them most. In bail processes, the court is required to consider victims’ safety and security. As such, the top court criticised the Allahabad High Court for failing to consider judicial precedents while granting the bail.

“FIR cannot be treated as an encyclopaedia of events. Judicial precedents were ignored,” the Bar and Bench quoted the order.

The court order also comes a day after the farmers’ umbrella body Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) voiced faith in the Supreme Court’s judgement. On April 17, the SKM voiced its concerns about the attacks on witnesses. The latest attack was in Kheri district on a key witness.

“While farmers are being implicated in false cases and arrested, and witnesses are being attacked, the culprits are roaming free,” it said.

Justice for the Lakhimpur Kheri violence is still a chief demand for farmer unions. Peasants condemned the attack on peacefully protesting farmers, demonstrating outside an event attended by State Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. Mishra’s initial arrest came a whole week after the incident. Further, it took the apex court’s intervention to ensure that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) conducted a proper survey that recently revealed that the violence was a “planned attack”.

In November 2021, a trial court rejected Mishra’s bail. Finally, Justice Rajeev Singh of the Allahabad High Court granted him bail on February 10 at the High Court. He claimed there might have been a possibility that the driver sped up the vehicle to save himself.

Disappointed by the judiciary, farmers then resolved to appeal to the Supreme Court themselves.

Jal Satyagraha as part of farmers’ MSP week protests

SKM calls for week-long MSP campaign

Another Lakhimpur Kheri witness attacked!

SC slams State, issues notice for protection of witnesses in Ashish Mishra case

The post BREAKING: SC cancels Ashish Mishra’s bail appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Lakhimpur Kheri killings were planned: SIT

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 09:10:10 +0000

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into the five deaths in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, 2021, submitted in its recent report that the killings were a “planned” event and not an accident.

Following the “upgrade” of the SIT with non-UP officers, along with the supervision of a retired judge, officials asked that the 13 accused in the gruesome case be booked for four additional criminal charges. These include attempt to murder, causing voluntary hurt using dangerous weapons, criminal acts by many for a common intention and relevant section of the Arms Act. The SIT said that these charges must replace the previous IPC sections regarding rash driving, causing death by negligence and causing grievous hurt by endangering life or personal safety.

The SIT referred to previous evidence and said in its application, “It is established that the accused’s criminal action was not an act or ignorance but a pre-planned conspiracy with the intention to kill that resulted in five deaths and serious injuries to many people.”

The decision to add these more stringent charges was appreciated by farmers who feared that the main accused Ashish Mishra might literally get away with murder, given how much clout his father Ajay Mishra enjoys as Union Minister of State for Home Affairs. It was Ajay Mishra’s words that had sparked the protest where the farmers were run over in the first place. Ashish too managed to dodge authorities for quite some time, before he was forced to surrender. Strong action against the duo was a major demand of farmer leaders.

As Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh draw nearer, many of these demands are being accepted by the BJP-led government. It is yet to be seen whether the government will also accept farmers’ demand to remove Mishra from his position in the Union Cabinet.

On October 3, four farmers and local journalist Raman Kashyap died after being run over by a Mahindra Thar vehicle after a peaceful protest in Tikonia village. On December 7, the district court dismissed brother Pawan Kashyap’s plea demanding an FIR against the Mishra duo. The police said in its status report that an FIR number 219/2021 was already lodged regarding the matter.

Following the latest development, Opposition leaders have responded to the application to condemn the ruling regime.

न्यायालय की फटकार व सत्याग्रह के चलते अब पुलिस का भी कहना है कि गृह राज्यमंत्री के बेटे ने साजिश करके किसानों को कुचला था

जांच होनी चाहिए कि इस साजिश में गृहराज्यमंत्री की क्या भूमिका थी? लेकिन @narendramodi जी किसान विरोधी मानसिकता के चलते आपने तो उन्हें पद से भी नहीं हटाया है। pic.twitter.com/ZLRNNefz7I

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) December 14, 2021

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “Following the court’s rebuke and satyagraha, the police have also said that the son of the Minister of State for Home had conspired and crushed farmers. There should be an inquiry regarding the Minister of State’s role in this conspiracy. But due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anti-farmer mentality, he hasn’t even been removed.”

Lakhimpur Kheri case: SC directs UP gov’t to “upgrade” SIT with non-native higher-grade officers

With thinning patience, SC recommends HC judge to monitor Lakhimpur Kheri probe

Lakhimpur Kheri killings: Two more farmers arrested for alleged lynching of BJP workers

The post Lakhimpur Kheri killings were planned: SIT appeared first on SabrangIndia.

What keeps the Tharu Adivasis going in their quest for Community Forest Rights?

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 12:45:23 +0000

Since 2013, members of the Tharu Adivasi tribe of Dudhwa region, in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh (UP) have been awaiting the approval of their community rights claims under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA). Procedural delays have kept them deprived of their rights for eight years! Yet they have continued their peaceful struggle.

Governments have come and gone, administrators have changed, but the resolve of the Tharu Adivasis remains unshaken. A representative and one of the leaders of the Tharu community, Sehvaniya, said the community has not lost hope. “The government is not paying any attention to the process. The district level officials are coordinating well but we have told them that they do not have the power to reject the claims. If there are any defects they can just return the claims and inform us about the same. When we spoke to the Welfare Officer, while submitting our objections to the rejection letter, he assured us that they will resolve this issue for us,” says Sehvaniya.

In their objections submitted to the Welfare officer of the district, the community has mentioned specific provisions of the FRA to demonstrate that the district committee has no power to reject their claims. Sehvaniya explains, “We told them that you have not bothered to read or look at FRA and have just plainly rejected our claims. They had pre-decided to just reject them; had we not read through the laws, we would not have known what to do. They are referring to the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union Of India & Ors (1997) 2 SCC 267 but the legislature has formulated FRA and we will go by the law.”

They are hopeful as they have been assured of a meeting with the District Magistrate (DM). “We will ask for a meeting with the DM soon but before that we will need to understand our rights and the law better so that we are better prepared to have a discussion. They often comment that our claims and objections and communications with them are drafted by outsiders but that is not the case, we understand the laws and the legal process and we draft by ourselves with a help in understanding our rights and laws. They tell us some defect is there in our claims so we tell them you need to assist us in understanding the law so that the process becomes easy for us,” says Sehvaniya advising caution.

When asked about what has been the overall attitude of the forest department generally, she says, “The forest department does not cooperate with us, they have stuck to their ways of filing false cases against us. We are allowed to take lakdi (firewood) but they do not let us; we tell them that it is in the law but they say they do not go by it. They also set fire in the forests sometimes which destroys the habitat for the animals. There is not one family where a member has not had a false case against them. We just want our claims to be approved so the forest department’s behavior towards us changes.”

Sehvaniya says that they do receive cooperation from the police but they are also not much aware about forest rights and the laws “so they also get stuck between us and the forest department” She also added that there are some forest officers who come on transfer and if they try to help them in any way, they get adversely affected in one way or the other.

She sounds hopeful and resilient as they are eager as a community to learn and know about their rights and follow proper legal procedure as prescribed in the FRA, to finally get their community rights.

The post What keeps the Tharu Adivasis going in their quest for Community Forest Rights? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Lakhimpur Kheri killings: Sessions Court rejects bail plea of Ashish Mishra, two others

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 08:02:49 +0000

A Sessions Court in Lakhimpur Kheri, on November 15, 2021 rejected the bail plea of Ashish Mishra, prime accused in the October 3 killing of four farmers and journalist Raman Kashyap. The court rejected bail his bail plea along with that of two of his co-accused, Ashish Pandey and Luv Kush Rana, citing the severity of the crime.

Sessions Judge Mukesh Mishra reportedly observed, “In all, five persons died in the incident. This matter is of a serious nature and investigation is still on-going. In view of all the facts and circumstances of the case, there is no just and satisfactory ground for releasing the applicant on bail.”

So far 13 people have been arrested for the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

In the main accused’s bail order, the court mentioned the forensic report that confirmed traces of gun-fire from the licensed weapons of Mishra, his friend and other accused Ankit Das and Latif alias Kaale. Similarly, multiple eye witnesses asserted that they saw Ashish and his friends running towards the nearby sugarcane field with guns.

However, the accused allege that Ashish was attacked by a group of violent farmers who pelted stones at his Mahindra Thar vehicle. Another FIR accuses farmers of allegedly killing two BJP workers, a driver of one of the vehicles in Ashish Mishra’s motor cavalcade, and the journalist Raman Kashyap.

Before this, the court of the districts Chief Judicial Magistrate Chinta Ram had also rejected Ashish Mishra’s bail plea.

However, farmers group Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) is apprehensive that the case will not get a fair trial until Minister of State Mishra is removed from his position in the Union Cabinet.

About the Lakhimpur Kheri violence

On October 3, local farmers gathered near Banbirpur village to condemn Minister Mishra for his threatening remarks against farmers protesting the three farm laws forcibly passed by the Centre.

By mid-afternoon Ashish Mishra, along with his friends travelling in three to four cars allegedly mowed down protesting farmers. Social media was flooded with videos of the incident. Protests erupted in various parts of India, but the main accused was called in for questioning nearly a week after the incident.

Further, the Supreme Court has repeatedly berated the Uttar Pradesh government for dragging its feet on the case. Most recently, it called for an “upgrade” of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case with higher ranking IPS officers from outside the state. Most of the SIT members are Sub-Inspectors from the same district. Additionally, a retired high court judge will also be appointed to monitor the probe.

On Sunday, farmers in Puranpur in Pilibhit district organised a Lakhimpur Nyay Mahapanchayat to demand the dismissal of Ajay Mishra and severe actions for all responsible for the deaths of farmers.

A copy of the bail order in Hindi, may be viewed here:

With thinning patience, SC recommends HC judge to monitor Lakhimpur Kheri probe

Lakhimpur Kheri killings: Two more farmers arrested for alleged lynching of BJP workers

UP court denies bail Ashish Mishra in Lakhimpur Kheri case

We are not satisfied with UP Government’s actions: SC on Lakhimpur Kheri incident

The post Lakhimpur Kheri killings: Sessions Court rejects bail plea of Ashish Mishra, two others appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Lakhimpur Kheri case: SC directs UP gov’t to “upgrade” SIT with non-native higher-grade officers

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 11:21:59 +0000

Image Courtesy:indiatoday.in

In fresh developments in the case involving the probe into the high-profile Lakhimpur Kheri killings, the Supreme Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to upgrade the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is investigating the matter. It advised that high ranking UP cadre officers who do not belong to UP should be included in the team. The matter related to the shocking incident where Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish’s vehicle allegedly mowed down and killed four farmers and a journalist.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India N. V. Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli was hearing the matter on November 15. Pointing out that the Special Investigation team (SIT) mostly includes Sub-Inspectors from Lakhimpur Kheri, the bench asked the UP government for a list of higher IPS officers from the UP cadre, who are not natives of UP.

NDTV quoted the CJI as saying, “The concern is that you have to upgrade the taskforce that is probing the case. There need to be higher grade officers.” It further quoted Justice Surya Kant as saying, “Most officials in the current SIT (Special Investigation Team) are from Lakhimpur only. You give us the names of IPS officers who are from the UP cadre but don’t belong to UP.”

The Supreme Court has consistently appeared to be dissatisfied with the probe. As SabrangIndia has reported previously, on November 8, recommended names of former High Court judges to monitor the Lakhimpur Kheri killing police investigation, after growing tired of the slow pace of the case proceeding. The court criticised the Uttar Pradesh police for failing to include lab reports and other pertinent information in the status report despite a 10-day adjournment. The court had at that time suggested the names of retired justices Ranjit Singh or Rakesh Kumar Jain to monitor the probe.

Prior to that, on October 20, the court had slammed the UP Police for their inability to make any progress. “We get the impression that you are dragging your feet, please do the needful to dispel that,” the Bench reportedly said as per LiveLaw. The SC had also raised concerns over other aspects of the investigation such as seizing of phones, placing some accused in police custody and others in judicial custody, as well as the submission of the report in a sealed cover over the course of hearings so far.

In the hearing today, senior advocate Harish Salve, who is representing the UP government, informed the court that the state government had agreed to the appointment of a retired HC judge to monitor the probe. The Bench then listed the matter of deciding the name of the judge for Wednesday, as per Live Law.

Further, CJI Ramana also addressed petitions that claimed some victims of the October 3 killings have still not received compensation. The court directed senior advocate Garima Prasad to take responsibility for ensuring compensation to affected people.

“I did what I promised and raised the issue of non-payment for the injured in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. I will continue to fight for the justice of the farmers,” said Legal Cell Conveyor of the farmers group Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Vasu Kukreja.

Previously, on November 14, farmers had organised a Lakhimpur Nyay Mahapanchayat in Puranpur in Pilibhit district of UP to demand justice for the four farmers and local journalist Raman Kashyap, as per SKM. Farmer leaders emphasised that the struggle will continue until Ajay Mishra is dismissed from his ministerial position, arrested and all culprits are brought to justice.

The Order may read here:

The post Lakhimpur Kheri case: SC directs UP gov’t to “upgrade” SIT with non-native higher-grade officers appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Lakhimpur Kheri killings: Two more farmers arrested for alleged lynching of BJP workers

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 11:18:38 +0000

Image Courtesy:tribuneindia.com

Farmer leaders condemned the arrest of two farmers on November 3, 2021 at Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh for allegedly lynching two BJP workers, a driver and a local journalist.

On Wednesday, the special investigation team looking into the Lakhimpur Kheri killing of eight people on October 3 arrested Bichaila resident Ranjit Singh and Naurangabad resident Avtar Singh alias Nikku. Eight people died that day including four farmers, who were protesting at Tikoniya village when Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish allegedly ran over protesters with his Mahindra Thar vehicle.

Since the incident, the SKM repeatedly demanded the dismissal of Mishra from his ministerial post, arrest of all those involved and a Supreme Court directed investigation into the incident.

“While the UP Police continues to save murderers of farmers and give them VIP treatment at the behest of Ajay Mishra and BJP, two more farmers have been arrested in Lakhimpur Kheri – SKM once again reiterates its demand for an SC-directed investigation into the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal, Gurnam Singh Charuni, Hannan Mollah in a joint press release.

However, local police instead registered a second FIR against the farmer, as per the Crime Branch press release. Earlier, Vichitra Singh and Gurvinder Singh were arrested and sent to jail following the FIR filed by Sumit Jaiswal.

According to the Indian Express, the police procured a stick allegedly used to murder the two BJP workers. Moreover, the SIT collected Vichitra’s voice samples as they suspect that he instigated people after the SUVs knocked down the protesting farmers.

Meanwhile, District and Sessions Judge Mukesh Mishra postponed the bail application hearings of Ashish Mishra, Ashish Pandey and Lavkush Rana until November 15.

The post Lakhimpur Kheri killings: Two more farmers arrested for alleged lynching of BJP workers appeared first on SabrangIndia.

SKM’s rail roko protest demands justice for Lakhimpur Kheri farmers

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 13:04:57 +0000

Image Courtesy:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Northern railways reported cancellation of many trains owing to the rail roko protest of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on October 18, 2021 demanding the arrest of Union Minister Ajay Mishra and others for causing Lakhimpur Kheri killings.

For over two weeks, farmers across India demonstrated against the death of four farmers and a local journalist Raman Kashyap in Uttar Pradesh after being allegedly mowed down and shot at by Mishra’s son Ashish. While the main accused was arrested after he failed to provide satisfactory answers during police questioning, others accused in the incident are yet to be apprehended.

SKM called for a rail roko campaign from 10 AM to 4 PM. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana answered this call soundly by observing a sit-in protest in districts like Punjab’s Amritsar, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Moga, Patiala, and Haryana’s Sonipat, Kurukshetra, Jind, Karnal and Hisar. Police officials were also posted near railway stations.

According to the Indian Express, over 130 locations suffered after nearly 50 train schedules were affected due to the protest across northern India. The Shatabdi Express and the Vande Bharat Express were among some of the trains affected.

Farmers blocker railway track in Dhablan, Patiala.#आज_रेल_बंद_है pic.twitter.com/Df8ANgCR5H

— Kisan Ekta Morcha (@Kisanektamorcha) October 18, 2021

Rail Roko Program success in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan.#आज_रेल_बंद_है pic.twitter.com/kBNISwc3kT

— Kisan Ekta Morcha (@Kisanektamorcha) October 18, 2021

Similarly, farmers received a fairly strong response from Rajasthan. However, a large number of police personnel were stationed at Uttar Pradesh railway stations in Kanpur and nearby areas. Some districts like Fatehpur, Etawah reported farmers sloganeering. In such areas, farmer leaders were detained. Even in Madhya Pradesh, police arrested protesters in Guna, Gwalior, Rewa, Bamaniya regions.

Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Vijayapura farmers in Karnataka showed their solidarity by observing similar protests. Demonstrators in Kacheguda, Hyderabad city of Telangana were arrested.

“The SKM repeats its strong demand that Mishra be arrested and sacked from the Union Cabinet of Ministers for the Lakhimpur Kheri farmers massacre. The Modi government has to take moral responsibility in addition to doing this as a simple principle of natural justice, to ensure that the investigation is not impacted, the real culprits and masterminds of Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre are arrested,” said a joint statement warning further intensified struggles if the demands are not met.

Earlier, farmers sent out yatras across India to pay homage to Lakhimpur Kheri martyrs. One such group reached Chennai on the same day as the rail roko event where the state SKM unit received the ashes of the deceased farmers.

The post SKM’s rail roko protest demands justice for Lakhimpur Kheri farmers appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Resist before Delhi Police makes sexual assault their SoP for protesters: AISA

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 11:52:41 +0000

Delhi’s All India Students’ Association (AISA) condemned the alleged sexual assault by police personnel of two women protesting the Lakhimpur Kheri killings outside Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence on October 10, 2021.

“It is a matter of shame and humiliation that students in Delhi, who are prone to protesting, are specifically targeted by the police, that too outside Shah’s house,” AISA Co-Vice President Kawalpreet Kaur told SabrangIndia.

On Monday, around 20 protesters gathered outside Shah’s house to demand the dismissal of Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra and ensure a fair trial against his son Ashish for allegedly mowing down and shooting at four farmers and a local journalist in Uttar Pradesh. However, before protesters could begin their demonstration, local police detained them and took them to the Mandir Marg police station.

During this time two women students alleged that women police personnel attempted to lift their clothes and kick their genitals, while being dragged on the road. Inside one of the three police buses, the police continued the assault.

“We will show you your place,” one of the survivors recalled the police saying to them, as per an AISA press release. This sexual assault was compounded by the fact that it was performed in front of male Delhi Police officers.

“Disrobing and sexual assault are often meted out by police forces in India to women and men from marginalised communities to shame and humiliate them. The Justice Verma Committee too had taken note of such custodial sexual violence and recommended several safeguards against it – none of which were ever implemented,” said the AISA.

Kawalpreet Kaur demanded that the Station House Officer of the Mandir Marg police should resign immediately for this unacceptable behaviour. AISA demanded that ACP Chanakyapuri, Pragya Anand who allegedly instructed officers to assault women protestors, be sacked and all perpetrators be suspended.

Further, AISA Co-Vice President Ranvijay told SabrangIndia that police behaviour towards protesters has worsened over the years, much like “BJP goons.” Even at the police station, students were not given medical attention. Similarly, they were not allowed to lodge their complaints against concerned police officers.

“We are preparing a statement and will send it to Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal,” said Ranvijay.

AISA stated that the manner in which the two women suffered the ordeal proves that these were not isolated acts committed by rogue Delhi Police personnel but specific instructions to “show women protesters their place.” Women all over India reject this “place” of humiliation and sexual assault by the boots of power, said AISA.

Regarding Mishra’s post as an officer, Kawalpreet Kaur said, “Ashish mowed down farmers. Why is his father still in the Cabinet? The actions on Monday show that they don’t want any kind of protest. It is obvious that justice cannot be meted out to farmers if Ajay Mishra remains in his post.”

The post Resist before Delhi Police makes sexual assault their SoP for protesters: AISA appeared first on SabrangIndia.