Farmers protesting acquisition cane-charged
AGRA : Farmers opposing the acquisition of their land for inner ring road project in Baroli Aheer area of Agra were lathicharged by the police on Thursday.
Farmer leaders alleged that their standing crop was damaged and land was forcibly acquired and said they would continue their agitation.
The farmers have been agitating for the last two years for remaining compensation but the administration decided to get the land vacated on Thursday.
Agra district magistrate NG Ravi Kumar stated he was on leave and would look into matter after joining office on Friday.
The Agra administration officials claimed that payment had been made to farmers and the land was being evacuated under due process of law. They said the second phase of ring road was being delayed because of the unjustified agitation of the farmers.
According to officials, the Agra Development Authority (ADA) had entered into an agreement with farmers in 2011 for acquisition of land for the second phase of inner ring road.
As per the agreement, compensation was given to farmers in 2013 but farmers from about a dozen villages including Gutila village in Baroli Aheer objected to this and demanded interest for two years and remaining compensation.
About 150 farmers in Baroli Aheer were agitating for the last 22 months at village Gutila and various attempts by the administration to resolve the matter through discussion failed.
On Thursday, a team of ADA officials and police, led by SDM Abhishek Kumar Singh, reached Gutila and started removing protesting farmers.
The protesting farmers alleged that bulldozers damaged their standing crop. A farmer leader Shyam Singh Chahar talked to the officials but to no avail.
Some women also pelted the police teams with stones after which the police cane-charged the protesters and rounded up detained about a dozen villagers.
Farmer leader Shyam Singh Chahar said: “The administration has done injustice to us and has acquired our land by force. Our agitation for adequate compensation will continue.”
ABOUT 150 FARMERS WERE AGITATING FOR THE LAST 22 MONTHS AT VILLAGE GUTILA AND VARIOUS ATTEMPTS BY THE ADMINISTRATION TO RESOLVE THE MATTER FAILED