Farmers had assembled to oppose deputy CM Maurya’s visit to Banbirpur, the native village of Union minister of state for Home and MP Ajay Kumar Mishra.
Even as senior leaders of Samyukt Kisan Morcha rushed to Lakhimpur Kheri, they have appealed to the farmers to maintain peace at all costs and not get provoked
AGENCIES / Lakhimpur Kheri (UP)
Six people were killed and many injured as violence erupted here during a farmers’ protest over Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit, administration sources said.
According to reports two SUVs were set on fire by angry farmers, after they hit a group of protesters. Four of the dead were travelling in the vehicles and the remaining two were farmers, various media reports said.
The violence broke out after two SUVs allegedly ran over over a group of anti-farm law protesters, who were demonstrating against the visit of Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya at the Tikonia-Banbirpur road here.
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 sustained injuries in the incident.
Meanwhile Samyukt Kisan Morcha has appealed farmers to maintain peace.
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday left for Lakhimpur Kheri along with his several supporters amid reports of violence there during a farmers’ protest in which several people have been injured.
While leaving Ghazipur on the Delhi-Ghaziabad border for Lakhimpur Kheri, Tikait, claimed that “several farmers” are feared dead during the violence in which two vehicles were also allegedly set on fire.
There was, however, no official word yet by the Lakhimpur Kheri administration or the police on deaths or injuries during the incident in which two SUVs allegedly ran over protestors and firing also took place.
“The farmers in Lakhimpur were returning after the protest when they were attacked. Some of them were run over, while the fire was also opened on them. According to the information we have so far, several people have died in the incident,” Tikait said in a purported video message he posted on Twitter.