Farmers on 75-hour protest in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Aug, 2022 10:43 AM
Lakhimpur Kheri (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 18 (IANS) The Bhartiya Kisan Union-Tikait (BKU-Tikait) and several other constituents of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation of farmers, will hold a 75-hour sit-in at Rajapur Krishi-Utpadan Mandi Samiti in Lakhimpur Kheri from Thursday to press their pending demands.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha will hold the protest from August 18 to 20 to seek "justice" in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri during the violence that erupted in the Tikunia area of the district on October 3 last year.
Farmers are also demanding the withdrawal of cases registered against them during the stir against the Centre's now-withdrawn farm laws, compensation to families of farmers who died during the year-long protest and legal guarantee for the minimum support price of crops.
"The 75-hour dharna has been organised to press for their pending demands," said Dilbagh Singh, BKU-Tikait district president.
Bhudev Sharma, national organisation secretary of BKU-Tikait, said the farmers would demand dismissal of Union minister of state for home Ajay Kumar Mishra 'Teni' in connection with Tikunia violence of October 3, 2021, in which his son Ashish Mishra is the key accused.
He added their demands also included withdrawal of cases against the four farmers, who are in jail in connection with their alleged involvement in the Tikunia violence case.
Meanwhile, farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and various other parts of Uttar Pradesh have started arriving in Lakhimpur to participate in the demonstration.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made in view of the farmers' agitation.
Apart from BKU national president Naresh Tikait and national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, Darshan Singh Pal, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Yogendra Yadav and other prominent leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha will also take part in the sit-in.
The government said that not many in the age group of 21 to 24 years have savings of Rs 12 lakh and after four years many big companies have announced to hire 'skilled' and 'disciplined' Agniveers. Graduation courses will also start for Agniveers which will be recognised in India and abroad.
For last three days, Rahul Gandhi was grilled for about 30 hours in total by a three-member ED team. On Wednesday, the Congress leader's questioning ended at around 10 p.m. but he left the ED headquarters at around 11:45 p.m.
The police have identified four shooters behind the crime, an official statement said. Moosewala, who left his house at around 5 p.m. on May 29 along with two persons -- Gurwinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh (cousin) -- was shot dead by unidentified people.
The official added that a case was registered on September 25, 2020, against the private firm and others on the allegations of causing losses to the tune of Rs 2040.63 crore to the consortium of 12 banks led by PNB.
The CBI had registered a case on April 13, 2016 on the request of Chandigarh Administration and had taken over the investigation of the FIR earlier registered at Police Station, Sector-26, Chandigarh.
Bishnoi, who was brought from New Delhi after procuring the transit remand from Patiala House court, was produced in a Mansa court in Punjab at around 4 a.m. amid high-level security after his medical check-up.
