India: Minister's son arrested on suspicion of murder
October 10, 2021
Ashish Mishra, the son of India's junior home affairs minister Ajay Mishra, was detained on preliminary murder charges late Saturday.
The arrest came a week after eight people died during a protest in the Lakhimpur Kheri district in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Why are farmers protesting?
Farmers have been staging long-running protests against controversial reforms that will nix a guaranteed price for rice and wheat, leaving them at the mercy of massive corporations.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has argued that the country's key agricultural sector is highly inefficient and in need of change.
During the protest, a convoy said to belong to Mishra and his father crashed into a group of demonstrators, killing four of them. Angry demonstrators then set fire to the cars, which killed four more people, including a local journalist.
This was the deadliest incident to occur in a series of protests that have been ongoing since last November.
Mishra 'evasive'
Mishra was questioned for 10 hours. Deputy Inspector General of Police Upendra Kumar Agrawal told reporters that the suspect exhibited "non-cooperation" and "evasive replies."
However, they had initially declined to bring charges. In response, India's Supreme Court on Friday said that it was "not satisfied" with the police investigation and questioned why they had failed to detain Mishra.
He is expected in court for a preliminary hearing on Monday. Authorities will then have 90 days to file official charges. Both Mishra and his father have denied wrongdoing.
es/fb (AFP, Reuters)