Watch: Rakesh Tikait, other farmer leaders fall as stage collapses at khap mahapanchayat

Attending a mega ‘mahapanchayat’ in Kandela village of Haryana’s Jind district, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Arajnaitik) leader Rakesh Tikait met with a minor accident on Wednesday as the stage on which he and other farmer leaders were standing collapsed.

The mahapanchayat, which was organised by the Sarv Jatiya Kandela Khap headed by Tekram Kandela, saw a large gathering of people and khap leaders protesting against three new farm laws.

#WATCH | The stage on which Bharatiya Kisan Union (Arajnaitik) leader Rakesh Tikait & other farmer leaders were standing, collapses in Jind, Haryana.

A ‘Mahapanchayat’ is underway in Jind. pic.twitter.com/rBwbfo0Mm1

— ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2021

Moments before Tikait was about to address the crowd, the dais collapsed. However, nobody on the stage received major injuries.

Soon after, Tikait appealed to people not to panic after the stage collapse and addressed them.

The mahapanchayat adopted a five-point resolution, which called for a repeal of the three farm laws; constitutional guarantee of MSP; implementation of the Swaminathan report; withdrawal of all cases registered against farmers following the January 26 Red Fort incident and their release. It also called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah to hold talks with the farmers’ unions.

Addressing the gathering, Tikait said the decision to resume dialogue with the Union government will be taken by the Samyukta Kisan Union, the 40-member committee of farm union leaders. “Just as you don’t change the sarpanch midway, we will not change the leadership in the middle of the agitation,” said Tikait, who was accompanied on stage by other farm union leaders such as Balbir Singh Rajewal of BKU (Rajewal) and Gurnam Singh Chaduni, president of BKU, Haryana.