Terming the Lakhimpur Kheri incident a murder, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi reach out to the victims’ next of kin to share their sorrow.
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Mr. Kejriwal alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government was “protecting the killers” and questioned why “the killers” of farmers were yet to be arrested.
The car that mercilessly mowed down the farmers, Mr. Kejriwal alleged, had not only crushed them but the very soul and spirit of all the farmers of the country.
“Dear Mr. Prime Minister, throughout the country everyone’s talking about how the entire system is trying to protect the murderers of the innocent farmers who died in Lakhimpur. I want to talk to you, Mr. Prime Minister, on behalf of the people of this country today,” Mr. Kejriwal told a digital press briefing.
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“Why haven’t those murderers been arrested? Why are those murderers being protected? Those murderers barbarically ran their car over the innocent farmers in broad daylight and yet they haven’t been arrested,” he added.
It was, the Chief Minister further said, only in Bollywood films that one bore witness to criminals mercilessly running their cars over innocent people only to have the entire system “bow down before them” and shield them from the law.
Mr. Kejriwal asked whether the message that was sought to be conveyed through alleged inaction in the case was that if someone was a politician or a rich and powerful person they could get away with murdering people under the Prime Minister’s watch.
“Those murders did not only kill the group of farmers they ran over, they killed the spirit and soul of all the farmers of this nation. They ran over all those people who are downtrodden in this country. It feels like that car ran over the government itself and killed the entire system,” he added.
“Mr. Prime Minister, on one hand, the government is celebrating the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, on the other, it is arresting leaders from the Opposition when they are going to support and console the bereaved families of the victims. Is this how you are celebrating the freedom of this great country, Mr. Prime Minister?” the Chief Minister asked.
Adding that such behaviour was akin to the tyrannical British, Mr. Kejriwal said our forefathers did not martyr in the struggle for freedom for the country to see this day.
“Farmers have been protesting for over a year, braving harsh weather and indifference of the system; 600 of them have lost their lives till date. And now, cars run over them and mercilessly murder them? Why do you hate the farmers so much, Mr. Prime Minister?” he said.
“Mr. Prime Minister, you have to decide now; the entire country wants those murderers to be arrested. You should sack the Minister involved and meet the families of the victims; they will get some strength when the PM supports them,” Mr. Kejriwal added.