Lakhimpur violence: 'Nobody takes responsibility'

THE Supreme Court of India on Monday (4) expressed regret over the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, terming it unfortunate. It said that nobody takes responsibility when something like this happens.

“Nobody takes responsibility when such unfortunate incidents take place,” the apex court said.

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The court said this while hearing a petition filed by Kisan Mahapanchayat seeking permission to hold a protest (which it calls Satyagrah) at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

Attorney general KK Venugopal, who represented the Narendra Modi government at the hearing, said there should be no further protests to ensure that incidents like that in Lakhimpur Kheri are not repeated.

Violence erupts in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri after car rams in protesting farmers; 8 dead

He also expressed regret over Sunday’s violence saying such “unfortunate incidents should not happen and the protests must stop”.

The top court recently slammed the Kisan Mahapanchayat over its seeking permission to hold ‘Satyagraha’ at Jantar Mantar saying “you may have a right, but the citizens too have a right”.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday suspended internet services in the area and stopped politicians from opposition parties from entering Tikonia in Lakhimpur Kheri where eight people were killed in a deadly escalation of a year-long demonstration against the controversial agricultural laws of the Modi government.

According to the protesters, a car from a convoy of the son of the Indian minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra rammed into them while they were returning after staging a protest against the farm laws. Four farmers allegedly died in the incident and in retaliation, four from the car were thrashed to death by the protesters, the police said.

Mishra though denied that his son was in the car when it hit the protesters.