BAREILLY: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence is confident that it has found evidence that main murder accused Ashish Mishra’s friend Ankit Das was in one of the cars in the convoy and subsequently fled, sources told TOI. Four farmers and a journalist were among eight who died that day.
The SIT took Union minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish, Ankit and two members of the convoy — Shekhar Bharti and Lateef — to Kheri on Thursday to recreate the crime scene, with forensic experts from Lucknow examining the site. Vehicles like the ones in the minister’s convoy that day were brought in and dummies placed to represent protesting farmers. Media was not allowed entry. Ashish stayed on in the police jeep while the three others were asked to step out.
After visiting the violence site, the accused were taken to a ground at Banbirpur where a wrestling match had been organised on October 3, the day of the violence. Ashish had earlier said he was at the match when the killings took place. However, SIT sources had told TOI, he had not been able to explain where he was between 2.36pm and 4pm — the incident took place around 3pm.
Ashish’s three-day police remand ends on Friday, and that of the three others on Sunday. Ashish was sent back to judicial custody on Thursday night, nearly 12 hours before his police remand ended.
“The SIT has found evidence that Ankit Das was in the black Fortuner while Lateef (his bouncer) had allegedly opened fire while attempting to help Das and others escape after mowing down farmers,” an SIT source said. “The name of one Nandan has come up too.”