Following the violence witnessed in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on Sunday, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah Monday took a dig at the BJP government in the country’s most populous state, which goes to polls next year.Omar, the leader of the National Conference party, said that Uttar Pradesh is the new Jammu and Kashmir.“Uttar Pradesh is the ‘naya J&K’,” he tweeted, drawing a comparison with the union territory which has been scarred by militancy and violence for decades now.The reaction came a day after at least eight persons were killed in the Uttar Pradesh district during violence.The Uttar Pradesh Police have lodged at least two FIRs in the case and named Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra’s son among other persons.”FIR has been lodged against several persons including Minister of State for Home, Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra,” Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awanish Kumar Awasthi told.According to ADG, Law and Order, Prashant Kumar, details on the FIRs were immediately not known.”I am on the spot. Two FIRs from both sides have been registered in the matter. Detailed information in not available yet as internet is not working here. We will let the media know about it soon,” he said in Lakhimpur.The violence had taken place during a farmers’ protest yesterday ahead of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s planned visit to Lakhimpur Kheri.The dead included both farmers and BJP workers.Four of the persons who died were travelling in the cars, which were believed to be a part of a convoy of BJP workers. The workers had come to Lakhimpur to welcome the UP minister.It has been alleged that the four were thrashed to death.Farmer leaders have alleged that the four farmers were killed when they were run over by a car being driven by minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashsish Mishra, while the protest to oppose the UP deputy CM’s visit was on.However, Ajay Mishra has refuted claims that either he or his son were present at the spot when the incident happened.
