Agitating farmers attack power sub-station, 500 booked

Demanding compensation for their land acquired by the state government for developing a township, thousands of farmers on Sunday attacked a power sub-station and torched plant pipes in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district, about 70 kilometre from here.

Farmers and their families, including women and children, carrying lathis attacked the sub-station inside the 'Trans Ganges City Project' and later torched whatever they could lay their hands on.

Security personnel were rushed from a nearby police station to disperse the farmers, who tried to prevent the fire tenders from reaching the spot.

The farmers, who had staged a demonstration in the township, situated on the bank of the Ganga in protest against alleged denial of compensation, had clashed with the police on Saturday.

At least 500 unidentified farmers were booked by the police in connection with the incident, according to the officials in Unnao. Five people have so far been arrested in connection with the violence on Saturday.

The district officials said that the farmers had already been paid compensation for their acquired lands.

The opposition parties slammed the state government for using force against the agitating farmers and demanded that they be paid adequate compensation.

"The chief minister of UP can only speak sweat words... The farmers are facing humiliation... In Unnao, the police used brute force against the agitating farmers... The government must pay them compensation," tweeted Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.