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Chhattisgarh: Angry villagers demand paddy procurement centre; 3 cops injured
Videos of the incident that went viral showed protestors pelting stones at the police and targeting government vehicles
Three policemen were injured after a protest by villagers, demanding a paddy procurement centre, turned violent in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district, the police said on Tuesday.
Videos of the incident that went viral showed protestors pelting stones at the police and targeting government vehicles. Around a dozen protestors have been detained till now.
Three cases have been registered against the protestors under sections 147 (rioting), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 294 (obscene acts and songs), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, and others under the Public Property (Prevention of Damage) Act.
Arif Sheikh, the Inspector General of Police of Raipur range, said that it was a small protest that turned violent on Monday but the situation is now under control.
“The residents of Kandekala village were protesting on National Highway 130 near Dhurvagudi village demanding that a paddy procurement centre currently located in Bhejipadar, two km away, be shifted to their village. Senior government officials and the police tried to pacify them, but they suddenly resorted to stone-pelting,” the officer said.
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Some private vehicles which had come to a halt due to the agitation were also damaged.
The policemen injured in stone-pelting incident were taken to a local hospital and are now out of danger, the official added.
Notably, villagers of three nearby villages submitted a memorandum to the local administration stating that they did not have any problem selling paddy at the Bhejipadar centre.
