Date:15/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/15/stories/2006111518361500.htm

National

One injured in Amaravati violence

Teargas shells lobbed to disperse crowd

Nagpur: A youth sustained serious head injuries in violence during a day-long bandh in Amaravati on Tuesday to protest against the killing of four Dalits at Khairlanji, a top police official said.

A group of Dalits indulged in stone-pelting, arson and violence, following which police resorted to a baton-charge in the area housing the Collectorate, offices of the Zilla Parishad, the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Panchayat Samiti and the district treasury, Police Commissioner S. Jaganath told PTI .

Police also lobbed teargas shells and fired a few rounds from rifles to disperse the crowd, he said.

The youth, identified as Dinesh, sustained serious injuries that might have been caused by the stone pelting and was admitted to Irwin Hospital.

"There was a crowd of over 5,000 people, and the police apprehended that the treasury could be their target," Mr. Jaganath said, adding that the protesters set on fire a police vehicle.

One policeman was injured. The situation was now under control, and police personnel were deployed at vital points.

In Mumbai, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil said the protests in Nagpur and elsewhere against the Khairlanji killings were "spontaneous reactions" and had "nothing to do with naxalites."

"I deny having said that naxalites were behind the protests. Some sections of the media distorted my comments," Mr. Patil, who holds the Home portfolio, told reporters here.

"I had said that as per preliminary reports, it appeared that naxalites would take advantage of the protests," he said.

The member-secretary of the Maharashtra Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission, M.R. Patil, had submitted a preliminary report on the Khairlanji killings to the State Government. Two policemen had been made co-accused in the case, based on the Committee's recommendations, he added. — PTI