BJP summons MoS Ajay Mishra to Delhi, pressure mounts as elections near

New Delhi: Amid the political uproar over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and its likely impact on the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni has been "asked to reach New Delhi" by the BJP top brass, which is under pressure from the Opposition to sack him and take action against his son for his alleged involvement in the incident in which eight persons were killed on Sunday.

The BJP top brass, sources said, will "inquire" from the minister about the incident.

The BJP top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was learnt, are keeping a close watch on the developments as its ramifications could be used by the Opposition ahead of the polls.

Lakhimpur Kheri, in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region, has a significant Sikh population and the central agencies and the Uttar Pradesh police, sources said, are looking into whether some "anti-social elements" were involved or not.

MoS Mishra continues to assert that neither he or his son Ashish Mishra, were present at the spot. The BJP central leadership has asked its leaders not to react until the incident is thoroughly probed and only the authorised leaders have been asked to put the "balanced views" on news channels.

However, BJP MP Varun Gandhi demanded arrest of those involved in the incident and also circulated a video clip of the purported incident and said "the visuals were enough to shake one's soul."

Speaking to a news agency in Lakhimpur Khiri, the minister said that he has evidence to prove that his younger son was not present on the spot in Tikunia village as had he been there "he would have been dead as it's impossible to get out of a place where a car ran over people amid a gathering of thousands."

The UP police has registered an FIR on charges of murder against Ashish Mishra after facing opposition onslaught and uproar over the incident.