The Congress said that it will stage protests at all District Collectors’ offices across the country on Tuesday in support of farmers and to demand action against those responsible for the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday party leader Rajeev Shukla said: “The party stands in support of farmers in the entire nation, and we demand that the Prime Minister and the UP Chief Minister should take strict action against those who have committed this crime and it should not look that government is against the farmers.”

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The party also demanded that the government should release party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who has been detained by the UP Police while on her way to Lakhimpur Kheri and also allow its two Chief Ministers – Punjab’s Charanjit Singh Channi and Chhattisgarh’s Bhupesh Baghel – to visit the site of the incident as they have been denied permission to land in the state capital by the UP administration.

The Tikunia police in Lakhimpur Kheri lodged an FIR against Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Misra’s son Ashish Mishra and 15 others for murder and inciting violence in Lakhimpur Kheri, even as the death toll reached nine on Monday.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha claimed that Ashish Misra’s vehicle ran over farmers who were protesting against Uttar Pardesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit to a village in Lakhimpur Kheri.

Ajay Misra and his son, however, claimed that protesters attacked the convoy and killed a driver and three others, including two BJP workers.