Rakesh Tikait ‘manhandled’ during protest against Pahalgam attack

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait was on Friday allegedly manhandled by a crowd during a rally held at Muzaffarnagar’s Town Hall ground in Uttar Pradesh in protest against the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

Rakesh Tikait’s brother and BKU president Naresh Tikait had earlier said that stopping Pakistan’s water supply in the aftermath of the terror attack was unjust and that farmers in India and Pakistan shared common interests.

Rakesh Tikait had also backed his sibling’s statement and had even asked: “Why is no one investigating who truly benefits from such bloodshed?”

SP (city), Muzaffarnagar, Satyanarayan Prajapat said, “There was adequate police presence at the rally site. A group started raising slogans against Rakesh Tikait after which he left the stage. As people pushed one another, Tikait’s headgear fell. All the reports claiming that the farmer leader was attacked are wrong. Action will be taken against those who tried to spread rumours”.

Condemning the incident, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in a post on X wrote: “This is not the insult of a farmer leader alone but of every farmer.” The unrest began around 5:30pm when farmer leader Rakesh Tikait arrived at the gathering in Civil Lines police station area.

Soon after, a section of the crowd chanting slogans ‘Rakesh Tikait go back’. The situation escalated rapidly, leading to a scuffle in which Tikait’s headgear fell on the ground. Police eventually escorted Tikait to safety as the crowd grew more aggressive, pushing and shoving the farmer leader.

As per reports, activists of 168 Hindu organisations participated in the rally. Reacting to the incident, Rakesh Tikait vowed to take out a tractor march from the same ground, warning that “hundreds of tractors will roam across the district”. BKU district president Naveen Rathi issued a stern ultimatum to the district administration, demanding swift action against the protesters.