- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi and the northern state of Uttar Pradesh found itself in a spot of embarrassment after its own parliamentarian Varun Gandhi condemned the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday (3) that sparked a violence. Eight people died, including four protesting farmers.
The 41-year-old member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, on Tuesday (5) shared a video clip that showed a sports utility vehicle (SUV) mowing down a group of farmers and demanded that police immediately identify and arrest the culprits.
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“This video of vehicles deliberately crushing farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri will shake anyone’s soul. Police should take cognisance of the video, identify the owners of these vehicles and their occupants, identify others involved in the incident and immediately arrest them,” Gandhi, son of late Indian National Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi and former central minister Maneka Gandhi, who is also a parliamentarian currently, said.
Lakhimpur violence: ‘Nobody takes responsibility’
The vehicle belonged to a cavalcade and was driven by workers of the BJP travelling to welcome UP deputy chief minister Keshav Chandra Maurya to an event in the area. Following the incident, four persons were allegedly dragged out of the car and lynched. The vehicle was set on fire along with another.
The UP government, which has faced a massive backlash over the incident, has announced compensation for the kin of the victims – dead and injured – and that a probe will take place under a retired high court judge.
