New Delhi, May 30 (IANS): Strongly condemning the attack on farmers' leader Rakesh Tikait and other leaders at Bengaluru earlier in the day, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on Monday demanded an impartial enquiry into the incident and strong deterrent action against the culprits.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Tikait was attacked with black paint during a press conference at Bengaluru on 'Raita Chaluvali, Aatmavalokana haagu Spasteekarana Sabha (Farmer's Movement, Introspection and Clarification Meeting)' organised by Karnataka State Farmers Association and Hasiru Sene.

Strongly condemning the attack, the AIKS said in a statement: "Miscreants, who threw black paint on the face of Rakesh Tikait, are reported to have shouted pro-Modi slogans. The attack is a grave security lapse and a failure of the BJP government in Karnataka."

The AIKS said it demands an impartial enquiry and strong deterrent action against the culprits. "The complicit role of the BJP in the incident also has to be exposed. The BJP-RSS have been all along opposing the historic farmers' movement of which Rakesh Tikait was an important part," it said.

Warning the forces behind the incident that such threats and attacks on Kisan leaders will not be tolerated, the AIKS statement further said, "Such cowardly attacks cannot stop Kisans from raising their voices against anti-farmer policies of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government."

Tikait has been in the forefront of the farmers' agitation since mid-2020 that had prompted the government to withdraw the three farm laws.