Rakesh Tikait reportedly slaps farmers because they refused to protest, wanted to go home

Ever since the three farm bills were passed in both the houses of the Parliament, farmers have been holding several protests and staging dharna around the Delhi borders. Protest doesn’t seem to be getting over in the national capital.

Meanwhile, a scuffle broke out at the Ghazipur farmers’ protest site after which farmer leader Rakesh Tikait slapped a youth. Rakesh Tikait is a Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader.

The events come at a time when multiple farmer unions have exited the protest in light of the violence during the Tractor Parade on Republic Day.

“He is not a member of our organisation. He was taking a stick and would have done something. He was mishbehaving with media. All those who are here with ill intent should leave,” said Tikait.

He has also claimed that the youth was a BJP supporter. He did not provide any evidence for his claims.

Earlier in the evening, Rakesh Tikait had broken into tears claiming that the protests will go on and kept insisting that the laws must be repealed. He also threatened to commit suicide and also said that there was a conspiracy underway to murder farmers.

Multiple videos have gone viral on the internet where the farmer leader can be seen inciting violence. Despite his claiming that others were responsible for the violence, law enforcement authorities appear to have sufficient evidence of his involvement in the violence as he has been slapped with UAPA.

Rakesh Tikait is among the 37 farmers’ leaders who have been named in FIRs related to the Republic Day violence in Delhi. These leaders have been charged with sections pertaining to attempt to murder, rioting, criminal conspiracy, among others.

Writer, historian, and activist Dharam Sikarwar is a very active author The Youth. He writes on national and international issues, environment, politics. He is an avid book reader as well.