New Delhi: Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi along with chief ministers of Punjab and Chhattisgarh met family members of Lovepreet, a farmer who was among those killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, late Wednesday evening.

At the time of filing this report, the Congress leaders were on their way to Nighasan to meet family members of journalist Raman Kashyap, who also died in the incident.

After a dharna at the Lucknow airport against Uttar Pradesh police’s alleged insistence on a police vehicle, three Congress leaders – Rahul Gandhi, Charanjit Singh Channi and Bhupesh Baghel – left the airport for Lakhimpur Kheri.

Five people, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have been allowed to visit Lakhimpur Kheri. They will also be travelling to Nighasan and Palia to meet the families of the victims who lost their lives during the violence on Sunday.

Vadra was released from detention in Sitapur later in the day, to join the others.

Once at Lucknow airport, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that Uttar Pradesh police had asked him and others to proceed to Lakhimpur Kheri in a police vehicle. Gandhi was accompanied by Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel.

“We have requested them that we want to go in our private vehicle,” Rahul Gandhi is learned to have said.

Gandhi has also tweeted a photograph of heavy police presence as he and other Congress leaders waited at the Lucknow airport.

भाजपा सरकार की ‘अनुमति’!

इतना डर किस बात का? #IndiaDemandsJustice pic.twitter.com/n5Y0dCfvHN

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 6, 2021

After a brief stand-off, the three leaders proceeded towards Lakhimpur Kheri from the airport.

Eight people – including four protesting farmers and the journalist – lost their lives when an SUV mowed down protesting farmers on Sunday. Farmers have alleged that one of the cars belonged to Ashish Mishra – son of junior Union home minister Ajay Kumar Mishra. A murder case was registered against Ashish on Monday, but he is yet to be arrested.

Priyanka had been in police custody in Sitapur since Monday, when she first tried to visit the victims’ families.

At a press conference earlier on Wednesday, Rahul had said that he was going to Lakhimpur Kheri. Two Congress chief ministers – Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) and Charanjit Singh Channi (Punjab) – also addressed the press and were to accompany Rahul. Both Baghel and Channi were not allowed to reach the site before. On Tuesday, Baghel reached Lucknow airport but was not allowed to leave.

At the press conference, Rahul said the opposition would not let the matter pass and would continue to build pressure. “Opposition’s job is to build pressure. When we build pressure, that leads to investigation and action. In Hathras (rape case), we built pressure and that led to an investigation. If we hadn’t gone there, that wouldn’t have happened,” he said.

Farmers are being “systematically attacked”, he continued, but the government is just busy blocking opposition politicians. “There used to be democracy, there is dictatorship in India now. Politicians cannot go to Uttar Pradesh. We are being told since yesterday that we cannot go to Uttar Pradesh,” Rahul said.

Priyanka has been actively hitting out at the Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath governments over the last few days, saying that while the Uttar Pradesh police were keeping her in custody, somehow they did not arrest Ashish Mishra. While she was detained, she alleged, she was not allowed to meet her lawyer or even see a copy of the order under which the action was taken.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party appears to be sensing that the tensions may have adverse affects electorally, given that Uttar Pradesh will see assembly elections next year. On Wednesday afternoon, Ajay Mishra is learned to have met Union home minister Amit Shah, for what is being speculated as a discussion on what the party could do on the matter going forward.

Sources placed highly in the Uttar Pradesh police have told The Wire that Ashish Mishra’s arrest is likely.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lucknow on Tuesday, which is just three hours away from Lakhimpur Kheri, but neither visited the area nor mentioned the matter at all.

Farmers have said that if Ashish Mishra is not arrested within a week, they will intensify their protests.