Why has the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister not succeeded in arresting the accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident? Who are the drug peddlers and who is protecting them? These questions have become another political flash point in the heart wrenching Jashpur incident in which one person was killed and 17 others injured after a speeding SUV ploughed through a procession in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district on Friday afternoon.
Yesterday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident and asked the Chhattisgarh government to provide all possible help to the victims.
In his tweet in Hindi, he wrote: “The death of a person in an accident wherein several people were crushed by an uncontrolled vehicle during a religious procession in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh is very sad. I expect the Government of Chhattisgarh to make arrangements for proper treatment of the injured and provide all possible help to the victims."
On Saturday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, speaking to reporters in Raipur before leaving for New Delhi, challenged Mr. Adityanath to arrest all the accused involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident on October 3 in which eight people lost their lives when an SUV rammed into protesting farmers. The Uttar Pradesh Police has so far arrested three people, including Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni.
“Yogi Adityanath did not succeed in arresting the accused. In this case, action has been taken and the accused involved in the matter arrested,” Mr. Baghel said.
Few hours after the incident, the Congress tried to corner BJP leaders by demanding a high-level inquiry into the Jashpur incident.
“A tragic incident has happened in Jashpur, Chhattisgarh, when an out-of-control vehicle crushed the devotees involved in the immersion procession of Maa Durga [idol]. In this, information has been received about the death of many devotees and injuries to many,” tweeted senior Congress leader Kamal Nath in Hindi.
“Two accused have been arrested. They are said to be from Madhya Pradesh and their connection with drug smuggling is also coming to the fore,” he said in a series of tweets.
“I demand that the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh conduct a high-level inquiry into this whole incident and the culprits be punished severely because there is a justice-loving government in Chhattisgarh, where criminals are not protected but punished, [and] justice is given to the public,” Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath added.
Responding to Nath’s tweet, Mr. Baghel said the accused have been arrested and investigation is underway.
“Respected Kamal Nath ji, both the accused have been arrested and action is being taken under IPC [sections] 302 and 304. Both the accused are from Madhya Pradesh and had reached Chhattisgarh with ganja. The investigation continues. It is also necessary to investigate who is protecting them in Madhya Pradesh in drug smuggling,” he said.
The occupants of the SUV have been identified as Bablu Vishwakarma and Shishupal Sahu - residents of Madhya Pradesh, the Jashpur Superintendent of Police Vijay Agrawal told the media.
“One person died, two are critically injured, and 15 received minor injuries," he added.
The Chhattisgarh government has suspended two police personnel and announced a compensation of ₹50 lakh for the family of the victim.
