Protest continues at NTPC Dadri amid heavy police presence

Farmers continued to protest outside the NTPC plant in Dadri on Wednesday, a day after police allegedly cane charged them and also turned on the water cannons to disperse protesters, whom the police claimed had pelted stones at them

Farmers continued to protest outside the NTPC plant in Dadri on Wednesday, a day after police allegedly cane charged them and also turned on the water cannons to disperse protesters, whom the police claimed had pelted stones at them. Scores of villagers, many of them women, continued their agitation, demanding increased monetary compensation for their land acquired by the NTPC in the 1970s.

Protest continues at NTPC Dadri amid heavy police presence

Late Tuesday police also arrested 12 protesters, including farmer leader and Bharatiya Kisan Parishad member Sukhbir Khalifa (Pehelwan) who was leading the protest.

An FIR was registered at Jarcha police station against 53 identified and nearly 500 unidentified individuals on charges of rioting, causing obstruction to a public officer, inciting violence and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013.

Mahendra Yadav, a member of Bharatiya Kisan Parishad, who is also the legal counsel for the arrested protesters, said the police did not follow proper procedure to produce the suspects before the court.

“I applied for bail on behalf of my clients but the police have not produced them in court even after 24 hours of their arrest. The police are not following proper legal procedure,” he said.

A senior police officer from Jarcha station refuted this and said, “All these allegations are baseless and proper procedure is being followed. The arrested suspects were produced before a magistrate and sent to judicial custody.” .

Meanwhile, the police continued to keep a heavy deployment in the area, comprising police personnel and companies of Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (UP-PAC) at the Rasoolpul T-point and around NTPC in order to avoid any unrest, said officials.

Nitin Kumar, assistant commissioner of police-2, Greater Noida, said the officials are in the process of identifying the other protesters who created a ruckus on Tuesday with the help of videos and photographs.

“On Tuesday, the protesters tried to trespass on the NTPC plant and stop its functioning. They pelted stones at the police and two personnel were injured. We have several pictures and videos of the entire episode on Tuesday. We will identify them and make arrests at the earliest,” ACP Kumar said.

Renu Chauhan, a protester from Chauna Village in Dadri, said around 400 protesters had gathered at the T-point to raise slogans against the power plant.

“We have been protesting for over 30 years for the rights of farmers but authorities have not been cooperating. These rights include equal compensation, and employment to villagers. While acquiring lands for its plant, NTPC promised farmers in writing that they would provide education to our children, build hospitals in the region and create playgrounds for recreational activities. None of these promises was kept,” Chauhan said.

In a statement, the NTPC Dadri said the demands of the protesters are being examined by the company as per its rules and regulations.

It further said, “Due to the non-availability of vacancies, it is not possible to provide permanent employment. In order to increase employment, skill development programmes through CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives are among top priorities for the youth of affected villages in Dadri area”.

“NTPC Dadri is taking steps for holistic development of nearby villages with emphasis on education, health, infrastructure development and skill development and will continue to do so,” it added.