Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Weapon seized from Union minister's son was fired, confirms FSL report
Lakhimpur (UP)(PTI): A forensic report has confirmed that weapons recovered from Union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra and others after the Lakhimpur violence had been fired.
Protesting farmers had alleged that Ashish Mishra had opened fire. Though the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report confirmed that the weapons had been discharged, it does not specify whether they were fired on the day of the violence or some other day.
In a related development, Pawan Kashyap, brother of Raman Kashyap, a journalist who was among the victims of the Lakhimpur violence, has moved court for the registration of another FIR against 14 people, including the minister and his son, in connection with the scribe's death.
Eight people died in the October 3 violence. Four of them were farmers who were allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers. Infuriated farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles. The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver.
Four weapons, including a rifle belonging to Ashish Mishra alias Monu Mishra, had been seized following the Lakhimpur violence. A pistol owned by Ankit Das, nephew of former Union minister Akhilesh Das, and a repeater gun, which was with Das' bodyguard Lateef Kale, were also among them.
A forensic report of the fourth weapon, a revolver owned by Das' aide Satya Prakash, is awaited.
"Of the four weapons sent for ballistic examination to the FSL, it has been confirmed that firing took place from three, including Ashish Mishra's rifle. However, the report did not confirm when the firing took place," a senior official said here.
The special investigation team (SIT) probing the case is yet to issue an official statement on the FSL report.
After the arrest of Ashish Mishra, Das and Kale, the SIT had recovered their licensed weapons -- a rifle, pistol, revolver and a repeater gun -- and sent them for forensic examination on October 15.
According to the FIR registered by the police on a complaint of Jagjit Singh, a native of Bahraich district, the entire episode was "premeditated" for which the "conspiracy was hatched" by the minister and his son.
The FIR stated that the farmers had gathered at the sports ground of the Maharaja Agrasen Inter-College on October 3 and they wanted to peacefully show black flags to Ashish Mishra and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who were visiting Banbirpur.
"Around 3 pm, Ashish Mishra, along with 15-20 armed men, in three speeding four-wheelers, reached the protest spot in Banbirpur. Ashish Mishra, who was seated on the left side of a Mahindra Thar, opened gunfire. The Thar mowed down the crowd and sped ahead," the FIR stated.
"Because of the firing, farmer Gurvinder Singh, son of Sukhwinder, a resident of Matronia in Nanpara, died," it stated.
However, two successive autopsies conducted on Gurvinder Singh had ruled out bullet injuries.
Ashish Mishra and 15-20 unnamed men were mentioned as accused and charged with murder, criminal conspiracy, rash driving, and rioting among others. Of them, police have so far arrested 13.
Minister Ajay Mishra had refuted the allegations that his son was involved in the episode that took place near his native Banbirpur village in the Tikonia area of the district.
The FIR has been lodged under Indian Penal Code sections 147, 148, 149 (all three related to rioting), 279 (rash driving), 338 (causes grievous hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life), 304A (causing death by negligence), 302 (murder), and 120B (party to a criminal conspiracy).
Meanwhile, journalist Raman Kashyap's brother Pawan Kashyap moved an application under section 156(3) of CrPC in a district court on Tuesday, seeking another FIR against 14 people, including MoS Home Ajay Mishra and his son Ashish Mishra, in connection with death of his brother.
Pawan Kashyap has submitted that his journalist brother had gone to Tikunia on October 3 to cover the farmers' rally, but was crushed to death by a speeding SUV.
He claimed that the SIT investigation has made it clear that his brother was crushed to death by a car and not lynched by farmers.
Pawan Kashyap said he had lodged a complaint with the police but no FIR was registered.
The next date of hearing in this matter is November 15.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
