17 arrested, 545 booked for damaging public property in Bihar

Aurangabad, Jan 16 (PTI) Seventeen persons were todayarrested and an FIR was lodged against 545 people forallegedly damaging public property among others during anagitation against land acquisition for a thermal power projectunder Mali police station area in Bihar''s Aurangabad district,police said.

The offenders were charged with obstructing governmentwork and damaging public property including those of theRailways during the agitation yesterday, Superintendent ofPolice Vivek Raj Singh said.

He said that the FIR had 45 named accused, while 500others were unidentified.

Elaborate security arrangement had been made at thesite of of the under-construction power project at Nabi Nagar,Singh said.

Senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddique today met theagitating farmers and told reporters that the administrationshould have taken the farmers in confidence before going aheadwith land acquisition for the power project.

One person was killed and 25 others were injured whenthe agitators fought a pitched battle with the police andtorched the engine of the Varanasi-Gomoh train near Aurangabadrailway station yesterday.