In what appeared to be a premeditated act, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait was attacked with a microphone and then ink was thrown at him while he was addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Monday. Soon after the attack, angry farmers were seen throwing chairs on the miscreants. The police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
Visuals from a video of the incident, that went viral, showed a grey-haired man approaching the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait and hitting him with a microphone. Just as some farmers rush to protect their leader, another man walks on to the stage and smears blank ink on Tikait's face. The farmers surround the miscreants and throw chairs on them even as some members try to hand them over to the police.
The incident took place at Gandhi Bhavan where Rakesh Tikait had called a press conference after meeting the farmers association who had extended support to the movement against the now repealed agricultural laws. Tikait was also expected to speak about a sting operation where a farmer leader from Karnataka was allegedly caught asking for money.
Soon after the ink attack, Tikait blamed the failure of the state government and the police for not providing adequate security. “It looks like a pre-planned conspiracy. The government should order an investigation,” he told reporters. He has suffered minor injuries, police said.
Three arrested
The High Grounds police arrested three persons in connection with the attack and smearing black ink on Tikait. They are identified as: Bharath Shetty, Pradeep and Shiva Kumar, all activists of a pro-Kannada organization. An investigation is currently underway, the police said.
In their defense, the arrested persons told police that they wanted the organizers to address the conference in Kannada. As a part of the investigation, the police are also looking into other reasons for the attack including their allegiance to political parties or pro-farmer groups.
The arrested have been booked under IPC sections 355 (assault), 354 (outraging the modesty of women), 324 (causing hurt) 341 (wrongful restraint), 427 (causing mischief), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
Environmentalist and farmers’ rights activist Chukki Nanjundaswamy, who witnessed the attack, said the attack was premeditated. “It had nothing to do with language. Kavitha Kuruganti was speaking in a mix of Telugu and English. The miscreants attacked Rakesh Tikait. It was pre-planned as they had come with ink or black paint,” she said.
Tikait, she said, had come to Bengaluru to boost the morale of farmers who were dejected after a sting operation that alleged that Kodihalli Chandrashekar demanded Rs 3,000 crore during the historic struggle in Delhi to repeal three laws. “The TV channel was airing slanderous content against the entire struggle. The press conference was called to announce a legal action against all parties involved in defaming the struggle,” she said.
Protest today
Samyukta Horata, Karnataka, a collective of many farmers association, has called for a state-wide protest on Tuesday, condemning the attack on Tikait and others. The association alleged that the miscreants belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).