"I Wasn't In Car," Says Minister's Son, Accused Of Running Over Farmers

Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra, has refuted accusations that he was part of the convoy that allegedly ran over farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district on Sunday, triggering the violence that left eight people dead.

"The programme that was happening was an ancestral one. It has been going on for around 35 years... We have a tradition that when we have guests, we send two-three vehicles to receive them... the Mahindra Thar was my vehicle, one of our workers had a Toyota Fortuner and there was a smaller car," he told NDTV in an interview.

"I was not in the car. I was at my paternal home in Banwirpur village where a wrestling match was being organised. I was there from the morning till the end of the event," he said.