Police lathicharge to disperse farmers at Tata Motors

Singur, Jun 27 (UNI) Police today lathicharged and burst teargas shells to disperse a strong mob of about 500 farmers, including 100 women when they tried to pull down a part of the boundary wall of the Tata Motors.

Superintendent of Police Rajiv Mishra said the farmers tried to enter the plant forcibly, where Tata Motors Managing Director Ravi Kant was on a routine visit to understand the progress of the plant and the vendor park.

On being resisted, the farmers threw bricks and pelted stones at the police force, led by Chandannagore Subdivisional Police Officer Kalyan Mukherjee. When the police failed to disperse them, they resorted to lathicharge and lobbed teargas shells.

He said three policemen were injured in the incident.

More police were deployed to bring the situation under control.

Soon after this incident, the farmers blocked the National Highway 2-- the Durgapur Expressway. The blockade was led by Singur Krishi Jami Raksha Commitee convenor Becharam Manna.

Police reinforcement was rushed to the spot to remove the blockade. When they failed, they lathicharged for the second time.

Manna was later arrested.

When asked about the incident, Mr Ravikant refused to speak to the mediapersons.

Meanwhile, Singur MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharjee said as Ravikant was made to take a deroute, Tata Motors would not be able to come through the main road and it too would have to follow the footseps of its MD.

Ravikant was joined by state secretary of industry and commerce department Sabyasachi Sen, WBIDC MD M V Rao and other higher officals.

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