Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Mahendra Singh Tikait's elder son Rakesh Tikait has been taken into custody and moved to an undisclosed location, party sources claimed on Tuesday, a day after large-scale clashes took place between his party's supporters and the police.
Rakesh, who is also the party spokesman, had gone to the Irrigation Guest House in Muzaffarnagar on Monday night after he was allegedly called there by the district authorities, in the wake of the clashes that broke out in Sisoli village, when police tried to arrest his father on charges of making castiest remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.
The party sources claimed that he was arrested at the Guest House and taken to some undisclosed location. However, there was no word from the police on Rakesh Tikait's arrest.
Rakesh's younger brother Surendera Tikait was arrested along with seven other BKU supporters during the clashes on Monday.
Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bijnor, Bijendra Tyagi had on Monday issued an arrest warrant against Tikait for his alleged remarks against Mayawati, at a public meeting in Bijnor on March 30.
Meanwhile, BKU supporters today out a procession and burnt an effigy of Mayawati in Sisoli village of the district.
In view of the situation in Sisoli, the state government has sounded an alert in all the districts of Western Uttar Pradesh and the Provincial Armed Constabulary has been deployed around BKU headquarters in the village.