Violence sparks with fresh clashes in Singur
Singur,
Oct
19:
Violence
erupted
in
Singur
once
again
today,
with
at
least
20
people,
including
five
policemen
being
injured
in
a
clash
between
the
police
and
villagers,
who
tried
to
pull
down
the
boundary
wall
of
the
Tata
Motors'
Small
Cars
factory
here.
Chandannagar SDPO Kalyan Mukherjee said the police had to lob 35 rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the violent crowd, who attacked the police with petrol bombs, stones and sticks.
While at least 15 villagers, including five women received injuries from tear gas canisters, three out of the five policemen, who were wounded in the clash, had been admitted to a local hospital.
Police said the problem broke out in the morning, when a few hundred villagers from Bajemelia, Khaserbheri, Gopalnagar, Beraberi Purbapara assembled with shovels, iron rods and sticks, and ran towards the boundary wall with intentions to pull it down.
They demanded that the land acquired for the small car project be returned to the farmers.
Taken aback by the sudden surge by the irate villagers, police tried to resist them, failing which they used tear gas shells.
The villagers retaliated by showering the police with stones and hurling petrol bombs at them. They fought a hit-and-run battle for hours.
The SDPO, however, said that no damage had been done to the boundary wall.
A strong police contigent has been deployed on the location. But, the situation continues to be tense.
UNI