Four injured as UP farmers' stir spreads to Agra

Agra/Greater Noida, May 8 (ANI): The farmers' agitation over land acquisition spread from Greater Noida to Agra this morning, where at least four police personnel got injured during a clash with the protestors demanding higher compensation for their land acquired for Yamuna Expressway.

According to reports, the police personnel got injured during a clash in Chaugaan village in Agra, where the agitating farmers turned violent and later set electric generators, buildings and other equipments on fire.

"Few equipments of the construction company have been set on fire. There was violence in the morning, but situation is under control since two hours," IBN Live quoted Agra Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aseem Arun, as saying.

Meanwhile, the death toll in farmers' agitation in Greater Noida has risen to four, with another farmer succumbing to his injuries this morning.

Uttar Pradesh Police has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for Manvir Singh Tevatia, who is leading the agitation at Greater Noida. Authorities have turned the Bhatta Parsaul village here into a fortress and prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been clamped in the district.

Bhatta Parsaul in Greater Noida turned into a battlefield on Saturday, resulting in the death of two Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel and one villager. Several others were also injured in the same incident, when a clash broke out between farmers and the police.istrict Magistrate (DM) Deepak Aggarwal and Gautam Buddh Nagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) were grievously injured in the incident on Saturday along with scores of others.

The situation remained tense in the village, where farmers torched private vehicles and a bus last night. The fiery altercation began when the protesting farmers pelted stones at police officials yesterday morning, who retaliated by baton charge followed by firing teargas shells at the agitators to end the conflict.

The farmers have been agitating since January 2011 demanding higher compensation for their lands acquired by the state government.

Their demand is that only half their lands should be acquired, while the rest should be handed over to the farmers after development.

They also want 25 percent reservation for farmers in all schemes of Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway.

Apart from this, the farmers have also been demanding for the authorities to give 120 square metre plots to landless farmers and a compensation of Rs. 5,00,000 for each acre of acquired land. (ANI)