Protesting Unnao farmers set warehouse, mixer vehicle on fire

Kanpur: Farmers protesting inadequate compensation for land acquired for the proposed Trans-Ganga City set a warehouse and a mixer vehicle of UP State Industrial

Kanpur: Farmers protesting inadequate compensation for land acquired for the proposed Trans-Ganga City set a warehouse and a mixer vehicle of UP State Industrial Development Authority on fire in Shuklaganj on Sunday.

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To recall, the farmers had fought a pitched battle with the police in Unnao on Saturday. Some 15 farmers and five policemen were injured in the clash.

The farmers who had regrouped on Sunday, allegedly set the UPSIDA warehouse (where big plastic pipes were stored) and the mixer vehicle on fire. Additional district magistrate of Unnao Rakesh Singh who reached the site said no one was hurt in the blaze. An FIR would be registered against the people involved in the arson, he said.

Several fire tenders were rushed to the site and the fire was doused after 40 minutes. Plastic pipes worth several lakh were destroyed. Thick black smoke billowing out of the warehouse could be seen from a distance of a km. The police said security around the warehouses had been stepped up and the culprits were being identified.

UPSIDA has several warehouses where the material meant for the project is kept.

On the other hand, the Unnao police had arrested five people for Saturday’s violence and registered an FIR against 30 named and 200 unnamed people by Ganga Barrage police post in charge Krishna Chandra Kanaujia, said SP, Unnao MP Verma.

UPSIDA’s executive engineer BD Yadav lodged a separate FIR against 10 named and 200 unnamed people. The SP said the farmers who had fired at the police during the violence were also being identified.