The name of Union minister Ajay Mishra is again in the headlines. The agitating farmers want him to be dismissed from the Union council of ministers and his son Ashish Mishra sent back to jail. Let's delve into who the Mishras are and why the farmers are outraged that Ashish is ‘roaming free’.
Ajay Mishra is a BJP leader representing the Kheri constituency of Uttar Pradesh and hit the headlines on 3 October, 2021 when a video started circulating on social media.
The video allegedly showed an SUV ramming into an unarmed group of protesters at great speed. Protesters said that the vehicle belonged to Ashish Mishra, the minister’s son, and that it had run over the group of demonstrators after the minister had publicly threatened to teach them a lesson.
The minister, on the other hand, claimed that the farmers threw stones at the vehicle, which led to an 'accident.'
The video generated a lot of outrage as eight people including four farmers and one journalist were killed.
Eventually, two FIRs in Lakhimpur Kheri were filed by the father of one of the victims, who said that his son was killed in a 'premeditated' manner as a result of a "conspiracy hatched by the minister" and his son. The FIR was registered under sections related to murder, rioting, rash driving and criminal conspiracy and a special investigation team was also set up.
However, little action was taken against the father-son duo after the incident, leading to the intervention of the Supreme Court on October 8. The court slammed the UP government for not immediately arresting Ashish Mishra.
“Will an accused in every part of the country be treated in the same way like the present case? Giving them an invitation that you please come? We want to question you so you kindly come,” the Supreme Court asked the UP government.
Following this, Ashish Mishra was taken into custody the next day.
Then, on 15 November 2021, the Supreme Court again pulled up the Uttar Pradesh govt for shoddy investigation and asked it to "upgrade" the SIT with more senior police officers and include a retired judge.
Finally, on January 3, 2022, the SIT filed a 5,000 page charge-sheet against 14 people, including Ashish Mishra, who has been named the main accused.
However, in February, the Allahabad High Court released Ashish Mishra on bail. But Mishra had to return to prison three months later after the Supreme Court revoked his bail order.
In January last year, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and JK Maheshwari granted Mishra bail subject to the condition that he not enter Delhi-NCR or Uttar Pradesh except for attending the trial.
Later, on September 26, 2023, the Supreme Court “deemed it appropriate” to allow Ashish Mishra to “visit and stay” in Delhi to take care of his ailing mother.
On February 12, 2024, the top court extended his bail again. A report submitted by a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and K.V. Viswanathan noted on February 12 that since the last date of hearing (September 26, 2023), “the apex court has received no report from the trial court on the progress of the case.”
It remains to be seen whether the farmers' demands for action against the Mishras will be met.
