Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Court rejects plea for separate FIR against Ashish Mishra in journalist’s death

The chief judicial magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri, Chinta Ram, rejected an application to register a separate FIR against union minister Ajay Mishra, his son Ashish Mishra and 12 others in the murder of journalist Raman Kashyap, the Times of India reported.

The journalist’s brother, Pawan Kashyap, had moved the application on November 9. “We want justice for my brother and I will check with my counsels over further action to be taken in this matter,” he told TOI.

Kashyap alleged that Raman’s name was not mentioned in the FIR registered by the police and, therefore, the family wanted a separate FIR in connection with the journalist’s death, as reported by the Indian Express.

Speaking to TOI, senior prosecution officer SP Yadav said, “The application was rejected because SIT is already investigating Raman’s murder in the FIR registered by the farmers against Ashish Mishra and others.”

Kashyap was covering the farmers’ protest in Tikunia when he, along with four farmers, was allegedly mowed down by Ashish Mishra’s convoy on October 3. Two BJP workers and the driver of one of the vehicles died in the violence that followed, and the police registered two FIRs: one in connection with the killing of the farmers, and the other related to the killing of the BJP workers.

On November 8, the Supreme Court had expressed concerns over how the journalist’s death had been portrayed. The bench had said that even though it was projected that Kashyap was beaten to death, it was clear that he had been mowed down by the convoy.