The Hindu : Villagers clash with police in Bulandshahr

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 19, 2004

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Villagers clash with police in Bulandshahr

By Our Staff Reporter

NOIDA(UTTAR PRADESH), JAN. 18. There was a major clash between a group of villagers and the police at Bulandshahr today, the fourth day of protests against the scrapping of Gautam Budh Nagar district.

While over a dozen police personnel were injured in the clash, 22 people were arrested on charges of rioting.

The situation, however, remained by and large peaceful in the satellite town of Noida and nearby areas of Uttar Pradesh. In view of the violent protests in Greater Noida and the neighbouring villages on Saturday, there was heavy police deployment today. Several battalions of the Rapid Action Force were also pressed into action.

At Kasna village of Bulandshahr, the police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse a violent mob. According to the Deputy Inspector General (Meerut Range), C.B. Rai, 15 police personnel sustained minor injuries in the clash that followed. It was alleged that the police picked up minors too from the area on the suspicion of their involvement in the clash.

Rail traffic on the Ghaziabad-Aligarh route remained affected till afternoon, as protesters blocked the tracks at Dankaur and Ajayabpur. While the Mahabodhi, Kaifiyat, Shivganga, Poorva, Katihar-Amritsar and Patna Rajdhani Express trains were delayed; Jharkhand, Sikkim-Mahananda and Reeva Express trains were diverted to the Ghaziabad-Hapur-Khurja route; and the Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani, North-East and Neelanchal express trains to the Palwal-Agra-Tundla route. Rail traffic was restored only after 2-15 p.m. Two trains - the Delhi-Aligarh and Delhi-Kanpur passengers - had to be cancelled.

Meanwhile, a delegation comprising the Minister of State, Ashok Pradhan, the Indian Medical Association president, Mahesh Sharma, and the Federation of Noida RWAs president, P.S. Jain, met the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, today on cutting down the districts.

Mr. Vajpayee reportedly told the delegation that he would discuss the matter with the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Earlier on Saturday, protesters had blocked the expressway connecting Noida to Greater Noida with heaps of mud at various places and burnt down two vehicles. "We suspect that the incidents of violence are the handiwork of some politicians who want to take advantage of the situation and garner public support," said a senior police officer.

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Villagers clash with police in Bulandshahr