Junior Home Minister Ajay Mishra Pounces on Journalist, ‘Abuses’ Media Over Jailed Son

Minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, whose jailed son Ashish is accused of mowing down farmers protesting the now-repealed three contentious farm laws in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, abused the media and lunged at a reporter while inaugurating an oxygen plant in the city on Wednesday.

A viral video shows Mishra lunging at the journalist when asked about the Special Investigation Team probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence concluding on Tuesday that the killing of farmers was a “planned conspiracy” with the intent to commit murder and that the charges of rash driving against Ashish and the others should be modified and an attempt-to-murder charge and the charge of voluntarily causing hurt should be added, NDTV reported.

“Don’t ask these stupid questions. Deemag kharaab hai kya be (Are you mad?),” the minister tells the journalist while lunging at him when asked about his son, and tells another reporter, “Camera band kar be (Shut the camera).”

Mishra also calls reporters “Chor (thieves)” who make “false allegations” which lead to the arrest of “innocent people”, news agency ANI reported.

#WATCH | MoS Home Ajay Kumar Mishra 'Teni' hurls abuses at a journalist who asked a question related to charges against his son Ashish in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. pic.twitter.com/qaBPwZRqSK

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 15, 2021

“There is no shame. Media people are thieves who have put an accused person in jail… switch your phone off... what do you want to know,” Mishra can be heard saying in the video, Hindustan Times reported.

Eight people were killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, which occurred after four farmers and a journalist were allegedly run over by an SUV driven by Ashish. A video showing the vehicle mowing down the farmers had triggered a massive wave of anger among farmers and the Opposition, which demanded Mishra’s resignation.

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress protested outside the UP Assembly on Wednesday demanding Mishra’s removal. “We demand the removal of Union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra,” SP MLC Rajpal Kashyap said. “The law and order situation in the state is very bad,” he alleged.

The Congress took out a march from the General Post Office to the Assembly complex demanding Mishra’s removal. “What is the reason and the circumstances that Ajay Mishra has not been removed so far? Why is the government shielding him?” UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu told news agency PTI. “The Special Investigation Team probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence has said that it was a pre-planned conspiracy causing death,” he said adding, “the Prime Minister is busy with management of events... When will he take action? When will the farmers get justice?”