BKU leader Mahendra Singh Tikait finally arrested
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Bharatiya Kisan Union's (BKU) president Mahendra Singh Tikait, accused of hurling caste-laced insults at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati was today arrested minutes after he surrenderd before the authorities in Muzaffarnagar today.
Sisauli: Bharatiya Kisan Union's (BKU) president Mahendra Singh Tikait, accused of hurling caste-laced insults at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati was today arrested minutes after he surrenderd before the authorities in Muzaffarnagar today. With his arrest the three day long drama, which witnessed the administration and the supprters of Tikait coming face-to-face escalating tension in the strongholds of the BKU, comes to an end. He would be produced in the Bijnore District Court.
The farmer leader, who commands a vast following in the farming community, especially in Western Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday had told his supporters in the presence of media that he is ready to surrender. Tikait, however, asked the police not to arrest him and declared that he would give himself up in court.
Tikait late on Tuesday signaled that he was mellowing down by going back on his remarks against Mayawati, calling her his daughter and accepting that his statement about the Chief Minister was the result of a 'slip of tongue'.
An arrest warrant against the 73-year-old leader was issued on Monday under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Atrocities (Prevention) Act for his alleged caste-laced diatribe against Mayawati, a Dalit leader, during a farmers' rally in Bijnore district on Sunday.
The Uttar Pradesh government called in 20 companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and policemen from 28 police stations on Monday to arrest Tikait, but backed off as his supporters in this village fought pitched battles with the security personnel throughout the day.
Despite admitting his mistake and terming the remarks "a slip of tongue", the farmer leader said Mayawati was seeking revenge.
Tikait's diatribe against the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief has brought in pictures of differences between the upper and lower castes in western Uttar Pradesh. With the Jat community in dominance in Sisauli (Tikait's home village), Tikait's arrest could antagonise the community.
The farmer leader, who commands a vast following in the farming community, especially in Western Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday had told his supporters in the presence of media that he is ready to surrender. Tikait, however, asked the police not to arrest him and declared that he would give himself up in court.
Tikait late on Tuesday signaled that he was mellowing down by going back on his remarks against Mayawati, calling her his daughter and accepting that his statement about the Chief Minister was the result of a 'slip of tongue'.
An arrest warrant against the 73-year-old leader was issued on Monday under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Atrocities (Prevention) Act for his alleged caste-laced diatribe against Mayawati, a Dalit leader, during a farmers' rally in Bijnore district on Sunday.
The Uttar Pradesh government called in 20 companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and policemen from 28 police stations on Monday to arrest Tikait, but backed off as his supporters in this village fought pitched battles with the security personnel throughout the day.
Despite admitting his mistake and terming the remarks "a slip of tongue", the farmer leader said Mayawati was seeking revenge.
Tikait's diatribe against the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief has brought in pictures of differences between the upper and lower castes in western Uttar Pradesh. With the Jat community in dominance in Sisauli (Tikait's home village), Tikait's arrest could antagonise the community.
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