The Special Investigation Team probing the killing of eight people in Lakhimpur Kheri on Tuesday arrested the driver of one of the SUVs that was part of the convoy which ran over protesting farmers on October 3.
The accused, Shekhar Bharti, was behind the wheel of one of three vehicles involved in the incident, police said.
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According to the police, the vehicle was owned by Ankit Das, a close aide of Ashish Mishra, Union minister Ajay Mishra’s son. Bharti is also the nephew of former Rajya Sabha MP and UPA minister Akhilesh Das, police said.
Ashish Mishra is already in custody on charges of running over his car over the farmers.
While four protesters and a journalist were run over, three others were killed in the subsequent violence in Lakhimpur.