Farmers' unrest: HC issues notice to UP government on plea seeking CBI probe

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court today issued notices to the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government seeking their replies on a petition seeking a CBI inquiry into the incidents of violence during farmers' agitation in Bhatta Parsaul village at Greater Noida earlier this month.

The order was passed by a division bench comprising justices Vineet Saran and Vikram Nath on a petition filed by Atul Sharma, a social worker and resident of Surajpur village of Gautam Buddh Nagar, situated close to Bhatta Parsaul.

The court asked the Centre and the state government to file their replies within four weeks and fixed July 11 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

The petitioner had demanded a CBI inquiry into the May 7 incident and its aftermath. On May 7, violence broke out when a team of officials led by DM Deepak Agarwal visited the village to free some officials of the state roadways transport corporation who were allegedly held hostage for three days by irate villagers whose land had been acquired by the Mayawati government for the Yamuna Expressway project.

Two Provincial Armed Constabulary jawans and as many farmers were killed in the violence, while several others including the DM were seriously injured.

The violence was followed by allegations of widespread harassment of villagers by the police and even sexual assault on the women folk.

The incident had sent the political temperature in the state soaring, with AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh staging separate dharnas condemning the state government's "high-handedness" and getting arrested.