SKM delegation visits Lakhimpur, urges withdrawal of cases against farmers

A delegation of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha visited Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh and met the families of those who died in the October 3 incident there, an official statement said on Thursday.

The delegation also met those who have been 'unjustly' arrested on murder charges, it said.

The visit comes in the wake of the Supreme Court cancelling the bail granted to Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. Eight people, including four protesting farmers, were killed after Mishra's cavalcade drove through the farmers' protest on October 3, 2021.

"Right from the beginning, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has been in regular touch with the affected families and has given them all help, including legal aid, in the Supreme Court," the statement said.

The SKM delegation met the district magistrate (DM), district superintendent of police (SP) and other officials, and raised the demand of withdrawal of murder charges and other cases against farmers.

The statement also stated that compensation to all those injured in the Lakhimpur Kheri case be given.

SKM, the umbrella body of farm unions, also demanded that security be provided to witnesses in the case. They should be given licenses to carry firearms for their protection, the SKM demanded in the statement.

The DM and the SP assured the delegation that the district administration would immediately implement all the issues that lay in its purview.

The delegation was led by Rakesh Tikait, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Yudhvir Singh, among others.