To protest against Lakhimpur Kheri violence, the Indian National Congress (INC) has asked its state unit chiefs to observe maun vrat (vow of silence) from 10 am till 1 pm outside the respective Raj Bhawans and central government offices on Monday.

       The party is demanding the dismissal of minister of state for home Ajay Mishra and the arrest of his son Ashish in connection with the case.

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       This comes after members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Saturday staged a protest in Delhi to voice out their call.

       The protesters, led by IYC national president Srinivas BV, assembled at Sunehri Bagh Road to march towards Union home minister Amit Shah's residence on Krishna Menon Marg, but were stopped by the police, which erected barricades at the protest venue.

       Seeking justice for the farmers who were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri, the protestors demanded the immediate arrest of Mishra's son.

       A few protestors also climbed onto the police barricades and raised anti-Centre slogans and demanded the sacking of Mishra.

       Protestors also tried to burn effigies of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah but the police didn't allow so, said IYC leaders.

       "Today is the sixth day of the massacre with farmers in Lakhimpur, but till now the Union minister of state for home has not been sacked. By supporting the accused and the killer, the BJP has made it clear they are enemy to the farmers," said Srinivas BV.

       "We are demanding that the MoS should be immediately sacked and the main accused Ashish Mishra should be arrested," he added.

       The top leadership of Congress is scheduled to meet on 16 October to deliberate on the current political situation, including the Lakhimpur violence, and decide on the organisational elections at a meeting of the party's working committee.

       Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday had hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government over their inaction in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case saying the victims' families want justice, not money.

       Priyanka Gandhi said that she met the victims' families and they have claimed that the Minister's son was present at the place of the incident.

       "I have met the families of the victims and they claim that the minister's son was present at the place of incident. The eye-witnesses have also said so. Why shouldn't we believe them," she stated.

       The Congress further questioned the government on not arresting the minister's son who is the alleged accused in the incident and demanded the minister's resignation.

       "It is the demand of the families of the victims that the Minister must resign. They do not want money, they want justice," she stated.

       As many as eight people, including four famers, died in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident that took place on 3 October.

       Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of several farmer unions, alleged that MoS Ajay Mishra Teni's son Ashish Mishra arrived with three vehicles around the time that farmers were dispersing from their protest at the helipad and mowed down farmers.

       However, Ashish Mishra refuted SKM's allegations and said he was not present at the spot where the incident took place.

       The Uttar Pradesh government announced an ex-gratia of ？45 lakh and a government job for the kin of four farmers who died in the incident.

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