Family of journalist killed in Lakhimpur violence accuses Ashish Mishra and aides of murder, files complaint

The family of Raman Kashyap, the journalist who was killed during the violence at Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday, has accused Ashish Mishra, the son of union minister for state for home affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra, and his aides of "murder". The family filed a separate complaint besides the two FIRS lodged on Monday, the Times of India reported.

Kashyap had been missing since Sunday’s violence. His body was found in the mortuary on Monday. As per Times of India, he was injured in the violence and succumbed during treatment.

The journalist's brother Pawan told the newspaper that, on seeing his brother's body at the mortuary, the family was "certain he had been shot dead", also citing "bruises on his shoulder, massive head injuries and bullet holes on his chest and right arm".

In his complaint to the police, Raman's father Ram Asre Kashyap, a farmer, said his son was a reporter with a news channel called Sadhna News at Nighasan. Raman had been covering the farmer protests at the Maharaja Agrasen sports ground on October 3; the event was to be attended by Ajay Kumar Mishra and Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Raman was shooting a video interview when three vehicles, one of which is alleged to have been driven by Ashish Mishra, mowed through a crowd of farmers.

"Eyewitnesses said he ended up shooting the footage of a car that was mowing down farmers, which was why my journalist son was shot at," the complaint said. "The footage reportedly recorded the gunshots too...The MP's son Ashish Mishra and party workers killed my son."

The complaint was addressed to the station house officer of Nighasan, who confirmed to TOI that it had been received.