JOIN USTwo cops die in clashes with farmers in Noida
Trouble sparked off when security personnel in large numbers had gone to Bhatta Parsaul village in the district to rescue three UP Roadways employees, who were taken hostage by the villagers while they were surveying a bus route on Friday, UP police chief Karamveer Singh here said.
“The villagers had refused to release the three employees and we were left with no option but to use force to rescue them,” he said, adding that the three had been rescued.
Two policemen were killed in the firing by the villagers while three others received bullet injuries.
Gautam Budha Nagar District Magistrate Deepak Aggarwal, who went to the village hoping to resolve the hostage crisis through talks, suffered a bullet injury and was taken to a hospital.
The Greater Noida police chief and many other senior officials were also injured in the firing and stone pelting by the villagers.
“An unidentified body has also been recovered from the spot. It could be of someone killed in the retaliated police action,” he said.
The DGP said that around 20 people have been arrested and efforts were on to nab Manveer Tewatia, the leader of the farmers, who had allegedly the villagers.
Tewatia had been leading an agitation of the farmers in the village for the past months.
“Though all the demands of the farmers had been attended to, Tewatia, who had the support of a small group of farmers, had incited them,” the DGP claimed. He also claimed that the youths supporting Tewatia, who has been absconding, had illegal arms.
Situation under control
Senior officials had reached the spot and the situation is under control, he said.
According to eyewitness accounts, the villagers were resisting the attempts by the heavy police force to enter the village and sounds of gun fire could be heard at regular intervals. A large number of security personnel have surrounded the village from all sides, sources said.
Unconfirmed reports put the death toll at four, including three policemen. In the past also the farmers, whose land had been acquired for various projects, had held violent agitations.
The farmers had clashed with the police at Aligarh, Agra, Dadri and Bulandshahr demanding better compensation for their lands acquired for various projects.