New video from Lakhimpur casts doubts on minister's alibi for son

UP: An unidentified video purportedly from Lakhimpur in UP that shows a man being interrogated by the police has cast doubt on the assertions of Minister Ajay Mishra that his son Ashish Mishra was not present at the farmers protest on Sunday. The minister's son is accused of driving a vehicle into the crowd of protestors. Eight people including four farmers were killed on Sunday.

The policeman fires a volley of questions at the man who claims to be from Lucknow's Charbagh area. The man says he was in the back of a black Fortuner that had five people in it. Earlier clips had shown a black Fortuner tailing the Thar that hit the protestors. The unidentified man in the video admits that the men in the car were all "Bhaiyya's' men, in other words, affiliated to Ashish Mishra and that the car belonged to an ex-Congress MP.

Union Minister Mishra has told the press that the vehicle seen running over farmers, allegedly triggering the clashes, was indeed his. However, the minister said neither he nor his son was present at the spot when the incident happened. A murder case has been filed against the Union minister's son, however, he is yet to be arrested. The viral video has not been independently verified for authenticity although it appears to have been shot right after the incident occurred.