SC Says There Should be Sufficient Evidence Before an Arrest: Yogi Adityanath on Lakhimpur Violence

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday assured action in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, saying the guilty won’t go unpunished. Speaking at a News18 UP event, Adityanath said what unfolded in Lakhimpur was “an extremely sad incident” and that nobody has the right to take the law into their hands.

Four farmers were killed on Sunday when an SUV belonging to Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra ran over a group of farmers returning from a protest against the new agri-marketing laws. Three occupants of the vehicle and a journalist were killed in the violence that followed.

Teni’s son Ashish is among the seven people mentioned in the FIR, but both he and his father have maintained that he wasn’t present at the spot at the time of the incident.

“There is no place for violence in a democracy. The law is equal for all. We will not spare the guilty,” the CM said.

So far, two of the seven people booked have been arrested, Luvkush of Banbirpur village and Ashish Pandey of Nighasan tehsil.

Speaking on the pace of arrests in the case, Adityanath said, “The Supreme Court has said that before arresting someone, we should have sufficient evidence against him.”

Adityanath’s statement came even as Ashish Mishra missed a 10 am deadline to appear for questioning before the police.

Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court said it was not satisfied with the steps taken by the Uttar Pradesh government in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana told senior advocate Harish Salve, representing the UP government, to communicate to the top most police official that evidence and other relevant materials in the case are not destroyed.

“What is the message you (state) are sending,” said the bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli.

It asked the state whether accused in other cases lodged under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code are treated the same way. “If you see the FIR, section 302 is there. Is it the same way you treat other accused,” the bench asked, while terming it as a very serious charge.

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