Protesting against non-payment of compensation for their land inundated due to construction of Gokul barrage, hundreds of farmers today blocked road, torched two buses and clashed with police, who resorted to lathicharge, injuring at least 18 people including five policemen in the melee.
According to police, hundreds of farmers led by BJP activists blocked the Gokul-Mathura road near the barrage. The trouble started when Additional District Magistrate Dhiren Pratap went to the spot to pacify the protesters.
The protesters pushed the Superintendent of Police (City) Manoj Sonkar during the negotiation, the ADM said, adding that police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob.
In the ensuing clash, at least five policemen were injured and have been hospitalised, Mathura SSP Manzil Saini said, adding that some protesters too were injured.
According to police sources, at least 13 protesters were injured and were undergoing treatment at the district hospital.
Inspector General of Police Sunil Kumar Gupta have reached the spot.
District Magistrate (DM) Rajesh Kumar and the SSP were taking round of Damodarpura, one of the seven villages where farmers have been affected.
The DM said the situation was under control and that the administration was holding talks with the protesters on the compensation issue.
The residents of Damodarpura village had stayed away from celebrating Diwali this year in protest against the failure of the district administration to pay them compensation for their land submerged after construction of Gopal barrage, despite several assurances in the past.
Owing to faulty design of the barrage, around 1,000 acre of land of over 1,500 farmers got submerged in water, about two decades ago, said one of the protesters. "We have made several representations, but except for false assurance we could get nothing," the protester said.
