Violence broke out in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh during protests by farmer unions against the visit of Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya and Union Minister of State for home Ajay Mishra. Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) alleged that at least two protesters had been killed and eight others injured after “vehicles of the ministers’ convoy crushed the farmers standing on the side of the road.” The SKM, an umbrella body of farmers, has been spearheading the nearly year-long protests against the three contentious farms laws passed by the Centre.

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The protesters allegedly set three jeeps on fire, with the SKM saying it was “reported that farmers were provoked into retaliation” after the “brutal attack” and smashed some vehicles.

“The farmers had planned to gherao a helipad to stop the Deputy Chief Minister from getting off. Once that programme ended and most people were on way back, three cars came… and mowed down the farmers… one farmer died on the spot and another in the hospital,” NDTV quoted farmer leader Dr Darshan Pal as saying.

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The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), however, claimed that three farmers had lost their lives in the incident.

SKM said farmer leader Tejinder S Virak had been admitted to a hospital in Lakhimpur Kheri for critical injuries

Farmers had gathered to protest an event in Ajay Mishra’s paternal village in Lakhimpur Kheri’s Tikunia, in which UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya was to be the chief guest.

Mishra’s son Ashish was going to receive Maurya when the farmers demonstrated in front of his car, reports Newsbyte.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav condemned the incident as “inhuman and cruel.”

Farmer unions have warned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that they will actively campaign against it in key state elections next year if their demands for a repeal of contentious agriculture laws are not met.

On September 5, thousands of farmers assembled in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, pledging to continue protests against the farms laws as farmer leaders vowed to campaign against the BJP in the coming state elections.