MoS Home Ajay Mishra resumes office, assures 'fair probe' in Lakhimpur Kheri incident

By Rajnish Singh
New Delhi [India], October 6 : Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni on Wednesday assured "fair investigation" into the murder case registered against himself and his son in connection with Sunday's incident at Lakhimpur Kheri in which eight people died.
Teni joined work at his office at the Ministry of Home Affairs situated in North Block here and also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah where he is according to sources understood to have briefed him about the Lakhimpuri incident.
Reiterating that neither he nor his son was present at the spot when the Lakhimpur Kheri violence took place, Mishra said he is "ready to depose before any inquiry panel" and that "the case is being investigated from all possible angles engaging multiple investigating agencies".
"Neither me nor my son were present at the spot when the violence broke out in Lakhimpur Kheri. Our car was diverted to a different route.... I am ready to depose before any inquiry panel," Mishra told ANI.
The MoS further said that action will be taken against whoever is guilty and that "investigating agencies will investigate every conspiracy to get to the bottom of the incident".
Mishra also made it clear that investigation will be done in a fair manner and investigating agencies are working "without any influence".
"All angles will be probed," he noted.
When asked about his name being mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR), Mishra said: "I know the process of law and I assure to follow the due process as like common citizen."
Replying to questions being raised by opposition parties seeking his resignation over the incident, Mishra said: "Respect of the country is increasing (across the world), both the Prime Minister as well as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are gaining popularity. When the opposition parties are not able to face us directly, then they are doing negative politics."
When questioned whether he has sought security for his son, the Minister said "I have not asked for any security for my son as there is no problem anyway in my district."
"Around 90 per cent people of my district are with me," Mishra asserted, adding the allegations are being levelled by those people who are indulged in "negative politics."
The minister said these are those people who have issues with the growth of the country and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday filed an FIR on charges of murder against Ashish Mishra, son of MoS Ajay Mishra. It is alleged that Ashish ran his car over the protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri district of the state on October 3 (Sunday). The FIR also mentions name of the Minister, who was appointed as MoS Home in the July 2021 Cabinet rejig.