Over 200 Congress Jharkhand state-level leaders, including several cabinet ministers, sat on a three-hour-long silent protest near Raj Bhavan in Ranchi on Monday demanding the sacking of Union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra whose son is charged for mowing down farmers in Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress leaders led by party state president Rajesh Thakur demonstrated holding a placard demanding the dismissal of Union minister Mishra.

The protest also had state rural development minister Alamgir Alam, state agriculture minister Badal Patralekh and state finance minister and former state president Rameshwar Oraon.

Though the Congress workers did not raise any slogans but while speaking to the media, party spokesperson Rakesh Sinha said, “Even the Supreme Court has chided the present UP government on the issue and the manner in which the BJP government is trying to save the culprits of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, it is clear that justice cannot be achieved till Ajay Mishra is not sacked as the home minister.”

Thakur condemned the manner in which the current BJP-led government is treating the agitating farmers who are raising their legitimate demands.

“The Congress party is agitating for the arrest of the accused and justice for the victims and sacking of the Union minister. The BJP government has clearly shown its anti-farmer face. Recently when we from Jharkhand had gone to UP to join our national leader Priyanka Gandhi seeking justice for the farmers, we were stopped at the UP border. This shows that the UP government is scared of Congress agitation,” said Thakur.

Badal Patralekh said that the three black agricultural laws that the Modi government has brought are death warrants for the farmers.

“The Congress party has demanded an inquiry into the entire incident. The minister of state for home under whom the investigation has to be done is the father of the accused involved in the incident. It is a clear cut case of clash of interest in the path of fair investigation and we demand that the minister is sacked till the investigation is completed,” said Patralekh.