LUCKNOW: Two people were arrested and are being questioned in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri incident while the main accused, Ashish Mishra, son of the Union minister of state for home Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni, was summoned, Lucknow range Inspector General (IG) of police Laxmi Singh said on Thursday.

The Lakhimpur police late on Thursday evening pasted a notice at the Union minister’s residence, asking his son Ashish Mishra alias Monu to appear at the crime branch office in reserve police lines, Lakhimpur Kheri, at 10 am on Friday. The notice, issued under Section 160 of the criminal procedure code that relates to summons to witnesses, said Ashish Mishra must appear in person and present evidences that he is aware of about the incident.

“Two people are being questioned. They have confirmed the role of three others who are dead. Technically, they have also been accounted for. These people are giving a lot of information,” IG Singh told the media.

“If Ashish Mishra does not abide by the summons, legal procedure will be adopted,” IG Singh said, adding that there was no time limit in the summons sent to Mishra.

Additional director general (ADG), law and order, Prashant Kumar later identified the two men arrested as Luv Kush and Ashish Pandey. He said the forensic team has found two missed cartridges and is examining one of the vehicles involved in the incident.

People aware of the development said the two persons arrested on Thursday were claimed to be close aides of Ashish Mishra and more raids were going on.

The police action came only a few hours after the Supreme Court on Thursday told the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a report within a day on how many arrests have been made so far in connection with the case.

Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri district on Sunday, in the bloodiest clash since the farmers’ protest over the Centre’s three contentious agricultural laws started last year.

The farmers were allegedly knocked down by a convoy of vehicles, one of which belonged to Mishra. Two BJP workers — Shubham Mishra and Shyam Sunder — and a driver — Hari Om Mishra — were allegedly pulled out of the vehicles and lynched by angry protesters. A journalist working for a private TV channel, Raman Kashyap, also died in the violence. The farmers allege that Mishra’s son was in the convoy.

People familiar with the development said a forensic team recovered a bullet from the incident site. Police officials, however, did not elaborate.

The IG added that the incidents of firing or any fire arm injuries were not confirmed in the post-mortem report of the eight deceased. She said the team further examined the site on Thursday and the police will proceed with evidences that are coming up during the investigation.

The Lakhimpur Kheri violence has triggered a major political storm with the opposition leaders demanding the removal of Union minister Ajay Mishra, who on Wednesday met Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. On Thursday, the junior home minister was the chief guest of a workshop organised by the home ministry’s Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) but the media was not allowed to cover it as had been planned initially.

The minister has been claiming that his son was not in the car that ploughed through the protesters. He claimed the driver lost balance after being attacked by stone-pelters and then some protesters came under the car. Later, the driver was lynched and the car was set on fire, the minister has claimed. However, the police FIR states that Ashish Mishra was driving the car that ran over the protesters.