In India, the son of the Interior Minister arrested, suspected of killing farmers at a protest

Indian police have arrested the son of Interior Minister Ashish Mishru, who is accused of killing people at a protest in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. informs Reuters. The dead were farmers, hit by an SUV, which is believed to be Ashish Mishra.

According to investigators, Mishra’s car crashed into a crowd of farmers protesting in Lakhimpur-Kheri district on October 3. Eyewitnesses identified the son of a high-ranking official and stated that it was he who was sitting in the car.

After an accident in which 4 farmers were fatally injured, protesters killed the driver and burned the SUV. writes Deccan Chronicle. In total, 8 people were killed during the riots, including a journalist.

Witnesses also reported that there were three other cars at the scene, one of which was the Minister of the Interior and his other son.

Interior Minister Ajay Mishra claims that his son was not in the SUV at the time of the collision with people. And the family driver allegedly “lost control” after the “intruders” armed with sticks and melee weapons threw stones at the car and attacked him.

However, how notes Pratidhvani, a few days before the conflict with the farmers, Ajay Mishra publicly threatened them,

The criminal case was initiated under Art. 302 (murder) and Art. 324 (causing bodily harm with the use of weapons or dangerous means) of the Criminal Code of India.

On October 9, Ashish Mishra was detained and interrogated for 10 hours. According to police officer Upendra Agarwal, the suspect “did not provide any supporting evidence that he was not present in any of the three vehicles that rammed the crowd of farmers.” transfers Interfax.

Farmers’ protests in India have been going on for about a year now, and protesters have set up camps along the main highways to New Delhi. Farmers are opposed to legislative changes that reduce the minimum purchase prices for agricultural products, including rice and wheat. The authorities attribute the reform to the need to modernize agriculture and increase production through private investment.