NEW DELHI, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed on Sunday in violence during farmers' protest in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, local media reported.
Farmers shout slogans during a demonstration at the Gazipur Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, in Ghaziabad on Sept 27, 2021. (Photo: AFP)
The violence broke out in Lakhimpur Kheri district, about 132 km north of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.
According to officials, the farmers were holding protests in the area since Sunday morning over the visit of junior federal home minister Ajay Mishra and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya.
"Eight persons, including four farmers, were killed," a local television news channel NDTV quoted a senior police official Arun Kumar Singh as saying.
Farmers unions claimed a vehicle in the convoy of the visiting ministers ran over the protesters.
Reports said four of the dead were the occupants of the vehicle that drove into the crowd.
Visuals from the area recorded later showed vehicles set on fire.
Meanwhile, a local news agency quoted Mishra as saying that three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and a driver were beaten to death by "some elements" in the protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri after a car in which they were travelling turned turtle following pelting of stones.
The agency quoted the minister as saying that neither his son nor he was present at the site when the incident occurred.
Thousands of farmers have been on strike since November last year, demanding the repeal of three controversial farm laws that they say will badly affect farmers. Though the federal government has been strongly defending the laws, the farmers fear the new laws will weaken their position and make them dependent on corporates.
The protesting farmers are camping on the borders of the national capital demanding revocation of the three laws.
The farmers have held 11 rounds of talks with the federal government but no breakthrough has been made so far.
