Farmers kill 2 cops, shoot at DM over land acquisition in Greater Noida

Two Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) policemen were killed and a district magistrate injured while trying to rescue state-run roadways employees held hostage in Greater Noida by farmers agitating for higher price for their land.

By PTI | Updated: May 08, 2011, 12.35 AM IST

NOIDA: Two Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) policemen were killed and a district magistrate injured while trying to rescue state-run roadways employees held hostage in Greater Noida by farmers agitating for higher price for their land.

Since January this year, these farmers in Greater Noida were agitating for higher compensation for their land acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government. The irate farmers, armed with sticks, allegedly attacked a PAC team that had descended on a village in Greater Noida where the roadways employees were being held hostage.

The team, led by district magistrate Deepak Aggarwal, were hoping to resolve the crisis through talks. But the farmers were in no mood to listen. They wanted higher compensation for their land acquired by the state government. After an initial exchange of words, the farmers started beating up the police.

Aggarwal was fired at by a farmer carrying a gun. He was rushed to hospital, police said. State officials said the Aggarwal’s condition was stable.

Later, the security personnel responded to the unexpected attack, opening fire and lobbing tear gas shells to disperse the mob. They also managed to rescue the three employees of the Uttar Pradesh government-run bus service.

Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.