First, a quick recap

• On October 3, farmers were assembled in the Uttar Pradesh district of Lakhimpur Kheri to stage a protest against the Deputy Chief Minister—who was expected to attend an event in the area.
• Three cars mowed down and killed three farmers—and maybe one reporter. And four others were killed in the violence that ensued—including two BJP workers, a driver, and a farmer who may have been shot. 
• Big question #1: Was union minister of state Ajay Misra’s son Ashish driving one of the cars? Farmers say ‘yes’. Minister Misra insists his son was attending a nearby event at the time.
• Big question #2: Did Ashish get out of the car, pull out a gun, and shoot a farmer in the head—in an attempt to escape an angry mob? Farmers again say ‘yes’. The police insist that no shots were fired. 

About Lakhimpur Kheri: We now have a clearer picture of the district where the tragedy occured. It is the largest of UP’s 75 districts—and contributes the most to its GDP. It is also home to the largest Sikh population in the state. So contrary to popular assumption, the protesters were not outsiders from Punjab. FYI: The BJP swept all eight seats in the district during the 2017 state elections. And local leaders are worried the incident will cost them votes with the 2022 elections round the corner.

A controversial autopsy

After the incident, angry farmers refused to release the bodies of the victims to the police—and conceded only after farm union leader Rakesh Tikait brokered a deal. But one of the autopsy reports has once again sparked a serious controversy.

The victim: is Gurvinder Singh—the farmer who was allegedly shot by Ashish Mishra. But his autopsy report states that he died of internal injuries. The family is furious and refusing to cremate the body. Relatives also shared videos with the media that show a round injury mark at Singh’s temple:

“Hundreds of farmers present there saw what happened… They didn’t mention the bullet injury in the report. They said he had injuries in his leg and abdomen. Abdomen injury we can understand, but how can anyone die of leg injury.”

More eyewitness accounts: insist that Ashish was sitting in the car that ran over the farmers. He emerged after the car turned over, and shot Singh while trying to escape on foot. The FIR filed against Ashish also reiterates this sequence of events. 

A new deal: Tikait has now brokered a new deal that includes a second autopsy—to be conducted this time in the presence of family members, and will be videotaped.

Note the messy reporting: It is almost impossible to get two media news reports that agree on how many were killed and how. Hindustan Times takes the police line that there were no bullet injuries on any of the bodies—and merely cites “injuries from a sharp object” on Gurvinder Singh. There isn’t any agreement on the number of people who died that day—be it eight or nine.

The big arrest

No, Ashish Mishra has not been arrested as yet. But the pressure to do so built as the viral video of the incident was shared by a number of prominent politicians—including BJP leader Varun Gandhi (Maneka’s son)—demanding justice for the farmers. And it was verified by some of the survivors of the incident. We linked to it yesterday, but you can also see it below:

Who was arrested: Priyanka Gandhi. After detaining her at a guest house for over 24 hours, the Uttar Pradesh police have formally arrested her—along with 10 other Congress party members. She has been charged under section 151 (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences) of the criminal code. This came soon after she put out a video statement directly addressing PM Modi—taking him to task for not arresting Ashish Misra, and asking why she has been detained without an FIR:

Even after the UP police announced her arrest, Gandhi insisted:

“I have not been served with any order or notice. Nor have they shown me an FIR. I have myself seen a portion of a paper on social media in which they have named 11 people—eight of whom were not even present at the time I was arrested. I have not been produced in front of a magistrate or any other judicial officer either. I have also not been allowed to meet my legal counsel who has been standing at the gate since morning.”

Also watch: Congress leader P Chidambaram on NDTV explaining why he thinks her arrest is illegal.

Headed for UP: Her brother Rahul Gandhi who will lead a five-member delegation to Lakhimpur Kheri today. It’s not clear how he will get there since Congress CM of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel was stopped at Lucknow airport—even though he was only planning to visit the local Congress office and Priyanka Gandhi. Already in Lakhimpur: A group of Trinamool leaders who sneaked in disguised as tourists.

Holding events in UP: PM Narendra Modi. While police told Baghel that Section 144 (banning the gathering of large crowds) was imposed in Lucknow, it did not stop Modi from delivering a 35-minute speech—where he praised CM Yogi Adityanath and accused the opposition of criticising him “day and night.” He did not say a word about the events in Lakhimpur Kheri.

A cloud of suspicion

There’s increasing attention on the role of Rakesh Tikait—leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU)—who brokered the deal with the UP government. Here’s the interesting (but unsourced) bit from Indian Express:

“Tikait is learnt to have asked the officer coordinating with him from Lucknow to keep away Opposition leaders as that would make convincing and pacifying the farmers harder. The Yogi Adityanath government blocked roads, stopped aircraft from landing and detained leaders to ensure the Opposition couldn’t make it to the site.”

The Express report paints a picture of Tikait as highly amenable and cooperative—and emphasises his personal relationship with top ranking bureaucrats and officials in UP. The Telegraph more directly flags doubts about Tikait’s agenda—given his previous support for the BJP.  

The bottomline: Everything depends on how the investigation proceeds, what it concludes—and how the farmers will react. The contested autopsy report is just the first in many battles ahead.

Reading list

There isn’t much in-depth reporting for now. The Hindu has the most details on the autopsy. Indian Express reports on Tikait’s role, and explains the history of Sikh farmers in Uttar Pradesh. The Wire has a lengthy report on the journalist who died. And be sure to read our detailed explainer on the tragedy.