New Delhi: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday morning started its 75-hour-long dharna at Rajapur Mandi Samiti in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur city to stress their demands, including the sacking of Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra.
The SKM had decided to hold a protest from August 18 to 20 to seek "justice" in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
"BKU national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, national organisation secretary Bhudev Sharma and some other prominent leaders arrived here on Wednesday for the dharna," the district president of Bharatiya Kisan Union-Tikait (BKU-Tikait), the local convener of the agitation, Dilbagh Singh Sandhu, told news agency PTI.
He stated that many more leaders of SKM would participate in the dharna.
Avtar Singh Mehlo, state vice president of BKU (Lakhewal), arrived at the dharna spot on Thursday morning along with his supporters. He said, "our fight is for justice to the farmers killed in Tikunia violence on October 3, 2021."
"We demand sacking of Union MoS home Ajay Kumar Mishra, compensation to the families of farmers who died in farmers' agitation, law for MSP, roll back of electricity bill 2022," Mehlo added, as quoted by PTI.
Farmers from various parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Haryana were pouring in large groups to participate in the dharna, the agency reported.
When asked if permission was taken from the district authorities for the protest, local convener Dilbagh Singh Sandhu, said, "We had informed the district authorities about the agitation."
"Though no written permission was sought or obtained, the authorities have made arrangements of safety and security, sanitation, and water, etc," he added.
The authorities have made laborate security arrangements in and around the Mandi Samiti.
Lakhimpur Kheri Violence
Union minister’s Ajay Mishra son Ashish Mishra is accused in the case of violence that left four protesting farmers dead in Lakhimpur Kheri last year.
On October 3, 2021, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri in Tikunia village during a car incident amid a farmers' protest against Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area.
Four farmers who were part of the protest were mowed down by an SUV, the minister's son is accused of being one of the occupants. A driver and two BJP workers were also allegedly lynched by angry farmers.
A journalist also died in the violence that led to widespread outrage while the Opposition parties and farmer groups were agitating over the Centre's now-repealed agrarian laws.
(With Agency Inputs)