Lakhimpur Kheri violence: SC unhappy with UP govt report, appoints ex-HC judge

New Delhi, Nov 08: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed dissatisfaction over the Uttar Pradesh police's probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed in violence during a farmers' protest.

The bench, headed by CJI NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli, said that the investigation was "not going the way we expected."

"There is nothing in the status report apart from saying that more witnesses have been examined," said a bench comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana and justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli.

The apex court also expressed dissatisfaction over mixing of witnesses in different FIRs in Lakhimpur Kheri violence case and proposed to appoint a former judge from Punjab and Haryana High Court to monitor the ongoing investigation.

The bench suggested that Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain (Retd) or Justice Ranjit Singh (Retd) from Punjab and Haryana High Court can oversee the Lakhimpur Kheri investigation.

Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri when a group agitating against the Centre's three farm laws was holding a demonstration against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on October 3.

Two BJP workers and a driver were beaten to death allegedly by the angry protesters, while a local journalist was also killed in the violence.

Farmer leaders have claimed that Ashish Mishra was in one of the cars that allegedly knocked down the protesters but the minister has denied the allegations.

Several farmer organisations are protesting against the three laws-The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 -- since last November.

The apex court had stayed the implementation of these laws in January.

Initially, the protests started from Punjab but later spread to Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.