Seven cops injured as agitators turn violent in AP

Hyderabad, Feb 25 (PTI) Seven policemen, including a DSP,were injured as a group of agitators protesting the setting upof a power plant attacked the cops with iron rods, logs and bythrowing stones even as police fired rubber bullets todisperse the violent mob in Andhra Pradesh''s Srikakulamdistrict today.

"Seven police personnel, including DSP AVL Prasanna Kumarof Kasibugga town, suffered injuries when over 200 villagersattacked them with logs, iron rods and indulged in heavy stonepelting at a police party which tried to remove the agitatorsfrom the dharna camps near an under construction power plant,"Srikakulam District Superintendent of Police KVV Gopala Raotold PTI over phone.

The agitators including local village leaders, who havebeen protesting for the past six months against the setting upof a power plant at Kakarapalli being constructed by the EastCoast Energy Private Limited, were preventing and disruptingvehicular movement in and around Kakarapalli of Santhabommalimandal in the district for the past one month, Rao said.

The agitators were opposing the thermal power plantsaying it would pollute the environment in their area andblocked the routes towards the under construction plant, hesaid adding that following the agitation construction works ofthe power project came to a halt.

The plant management had requested the Collector andpolice for facilitating them to carry on the works asnegotiations between the management and the agitators forpeace did not yield any result.

"The protesters were told to approach courts and thegovernment with their grievances in a democratic manner butthey indulged in an agitation which was illegal," Rao said.

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