Farmer families in west UP end war, call for truce

Muzaffarnagar : The 20-year old battle between two powerful farmer families of Baliyan Khap in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar has ended after the warring parties decided to call for truce.

The families of Baliyan khap Chaudhary Naresh Tikait and former Minister Yograj Singh announced truce on Tuesday in the presence of Khap leaders and people and embraced each other after two decades.

Yograj Singh was elected MLA from Khatauli constituency in 2007 by defeating Rajpal Singh and Rakesh Tikait, and served as minister between 2007 to 2012 in the then Mayawati government.

Naresh Tikait became Chaudhary of Baliyan Khap after demise of his father Mahendra Singh Tikait in 2011.

Yograj Singh also belongs to Baliyan Khap.

Enmity between the two families began after murder of Yograj’s father Jagbeer Singh in September 2003.

He was also a farmer leader and president of Rashtriya Kisan Morcha.

Yograj Singh named Naresh Tikait and two others in the case and a court in Muzaffarnagar acquitted Naresh Tikait in August last year after hearing of two decades.

Dissatisfied with the decision, the state government lawyer moved the Allahabad high court which summoned all documents and files of the case.

Meanwhile, Yograj also filed a petition in the high court against the decision.

Bharatiya Kisan Union’s president in Muzaffarnagar, Yogesh Sharma said that Rakesh Tikait and his family members participated in a panchayat held in Kurawar village of Shahpur area where Yograj Singh and his brother Lekhraj Singh were also present.

They accepted the verdict of Khap chaudharies and panchayat and decided to end their enmity.

They then went to Sisauli and met Naresh Tikait and garlanded the statues of Mahendra Singh Tikait and Chaudhary Charan Singh.

Tikait family then visited Yograj’s house where both families had dinner together.