A video is doing the rounds of the internet where it is claimed that it shows the son of cabinet minister Ajay Mishra running away from the scene after their car runs over ‘farmer protesters’. The claim is being made by opposition parties and spread by ‘journalists’ who are sympathetic to their cause.
The video is being used to demand Aashish Mishra’s arrest over the matter. The video is only a few seconds long but people are making far reaching conclusions based on it. The Manipur Pradesh Congress Sevadal has shared the video to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It's an act of terrorism.If a minority community person would have mowed down in #lakhimpurkhiri ,worldwide condemnation would ve been pouring. But just being a Minister son,he isn't. @narendramodi Sack that Minister & Arrest his Son.@CongressSevadal
— Manipur Pradesh Congress Sevadal (@SevadalMN) October 5, 2021
pic.twitter.com/zX7zryPFl1
Tauquir Alam, secretary of the Congress party, too, made the same claim.
मंत्री जी अगर आपका बेटा वहां नहीं था, तो ये जो गाड़ी से भाग रहा है, वह कौन है?
— Tauquir Alam (@AlamTauquirJNU) October 5, 2021
अजय मिश्रा तेरी झूठ पकड़ी गयी !#मोदी_लखीमपुर_जाओ#मोदी_अजयमिश्र_का_इस्तीफा_लो pic.twitter.com/8464x1FfWL
Deepak Sharma, editor at Desh 24×7, made the claim and claimed that videos from the scene confirm the presence of Ajay Mishra’s son at the spot. Propagandist Rohini Singh retweeted the claim on Twitter.
However, an investigation by Navbharat Times has revealed that the person in the video is not Aashish Mishra but Sumit Jaiswal. The report by NT said that the body structure of the person in the video does not match the physical built of Aashish Mishra.
While the person in the video is lean and tall, Aashish Mishra is rather short and broader than the person. However, the physical structure matches with Sumit Jaiswal. Jaiswal is a BJP worker and a member of the Nagar Palika Parishad Lakhimpur from Shivpuri.
Jaiswal is a close associate of Aashish and is often spotted with him at various events. He has also registered a complaint in connection with the violence at Lakhimpur Kheri. In his complaint, he has accused 10-15 unnamed individuals of murder, criminal conspiracy and numerous other sections.