A senior police official in the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, on the condition of anonymity, has claimed that the main accused Ashish Misra, son of Minister of State (MoS) for Home affairs Ajay Misra, could not establish his presence away from the spot during the time of the incident when a fleet of three cars, led by a jeep, mowed down farmers in Tikunia area on 3 October.

It was learnt earlier from sources that the main accused Ashish Misra, while appearing for the second summon, submitted videos and pictures of the wrestling event, claiming to be present there, as against the allegations of him being in the Thar jeep that mowed down farmers. But the SIT is claiming otherwise.

Awadesh Kumar Singh, the accused’s lawyer, claimed that the SIT had no evidence that his client was at the spot at the time of the incident. Singh also dismissed the SIT’s allegations that Ashish Misra didn’t cooperate during the questioning when he appeared for the second summon, following which he was arrested.

Meanwhile, Shekhar Bharti, the driver of the black SUV that was behind the jeep during the time of the incident in Tikunia, was arrested on Tuesday. A video showing him purportedly being interrogated by a DSP rank officer at the spot of the incident, surrounded by a frenzied crowd, had also surfaced.

As per Bharti’s latest statement to the SIT, owner of the SUV Ankit Das, a Lucknow resident who has now filed a surrender plea, and his two gunners, were seated in the SUV and fled soon after the incident. Bharti was caught and roughed up by the crowd before police intervened and rescued him.

According to the UP Police, four people, including the driver, have been arrested while three suspects whose names surfaced during the probe in the first FIR, had died on the spot. Main accused Ashish Misra is now undergoing interrogation in the SIT custody after a local court, on Sunday, approved police remand for him for three days.