At least 8 dead during violence at Uttar Pradesh farmers' protest

At least eight people were killed as violence erupted in Lakhimpur Kheri during a farmers’ protest over Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit, according to the NDTV.
 
Eight people, including four far­mers, were killed, said Arun Kumar Singh, Addi­ti­o­nal Superintendent of Police, Lakhimpur Kheri, according to the NDTV report.
 
Two SUVs were set on fire by angry farmers, reports said, after they hit a group of protesters.
 

The violence broke out after two SUVs allegedly ran over a group of anti-farm law protesters, who were demonstrating against the visit of Maurya at the Tikonia-Banbirpur road here. Angry protesters allegedly forced the two vehicles to stop and set them on fire. They also allegedly thrashed some passengers. The farmers had assembled there to oppose Maurya’s visit to Banbirpur, the native village of Union minister of state for Home and MP Ajay Kumar Mishra.

 
Several journalists were also reported to have suffered injuries in the incident.
 
Meanwhile, in view of the violence, Maurya’s visit to the village has been cancelled.
 
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a protest outside the offices of district magistrates and divisional commissioners across the country on Monday against the incident, farmer leaders Yogendra Yadav and Darshan Pal Singh said on Sunday.
 
They also demanded a probe into the incident by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court and not by the UP administration.
 
“To express our agitation against Sunday’s incident, the SKM calls for a protest outside the offices of district magistrates and divisional commissioners across the country between 10 am and 1 pm,” Singh said.