Eight dead as India farmer protest tensions escalate

dpa New Delhi Eight people, four of them farmers, have been killed in northern India in a sudden outbreak of violence during a 10-month protest by farmers...

dpa New DelhiEight people, four of them farmers, have been killed in northern India in a sudden outbreak of violence during a 10-month protest by farmers over controversial new laws.Farmers alleged that the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on Sunday evening started after a car owned by the son of a junior minister in India’s Home Ministry, Ajay Mishra, ran over some farmers.Mishra denied that his son was present at the incident and said that their car overturned and hit the farmers after some protestors pelted stones at the vehicle.Farmer unions said four farmers died after being hit by the car and six more were injured.Three workers from Mishra’s Bharatiya Janata Party and the car driver were later beaten to death by the mob, Mishra said. Images from the area showed signs of arson and vehicles set on fire.“My son was not present at the spot. There were miscreants who attacked workers with sticks and swords. Had my son been there, he wouldn’t have come out alive,” Mishra told reporters.State police took to Twitter early on Monday to describe the incident as “unfortunate” and said eight fatalities had been confirmed by the district administration.State chief minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a probe and promised strict action against the accused while appealing for calm.A murder case had been filed against Mishra’s son while several other people had also been named in the police complaint, domestic media reported.State authorities deployed a heavy police contingent and suspended internet services to keep control in the district in Uttar Pradesh, which is India’s most politically significant state and faces elections next year.Several politicians including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the main opposition Congress party were detained as they attempted to reach the site after authorities issued orders prohibiting gatherings of people in the area.Thousands of farmers also staged protests outside government offices in Indian states including in agriculture-dominated northern Punjab and Haryana states.Some staged sit-ins demanding the resignation of the minister, arrest of his son as well as justice for the victims.Later on Monday evening, farmers who were protesting in Lakhimpur Kheri and refusing the cremate the dead, decided to call off their protest after the government announced compensation for the dead and injured.The government had promised to pay a compensation of 4.5 million rupees (60,500 dollars) to families of those who died while the injured would receive compensation of 1 million rupees, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said.Sunday’s violence represents one of the the most serious incidents since the farmers’ protests began in November 2020.In January, protestors had clashed with security forces in New Delhi, leaving at least one farmer dead and 400 police officers injured.A large number of farmers have camped out on the borders of Delhi since the protest began, demanding the withdrawal of the agricultural laws, which the government says will modernize and energize the farming sector.More than half of India’s population depends on farming for a living.