During a news conference at Gandhi Bhavan in Bengaluru on Monday, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait was splashed with black ink. Three assailants were apprehended on the spot by the police.
Tikait was attacked while attending a press conference organized by the Karnataka State Farmers Association and Hasiru Sene on “Raita Chaluvali, Aatmavalokana haagu Spasteekarana Sabha (Farmer’s Movement, Introspection and Clarification Meeting).”
The leaders were addressing recent claims leveled by the local media against farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar, who was accused of arranging bribes to end protests. Three men climbed the platform and sprayed Rakesh Tikait with black paint. Yudhvir Singh, another farmer leader, was also covered with black paint.
The failure of the Karnataka Police to safeguard Rakesh Tikait has outraged farmer leaders. They said that the threat perception was passed on to the cops, but that they ignored it.
