Greater Noida farmers abduct govt officials

Agitating farmers abducted two senior government officials - one from the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority - from a village here on Friday. The officials could not be traced till late Friday night.

Agitating farmers abducted two senior government officials - one from the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority - from a village here on Friday. The officials could not be traced till late Friday night.

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Deputy chief executive officer RK Singh and deputy collector SP Singh had gone to attend a meeting with the farmers, who had been agitating for higher compensation for their land acquired by the state government for development work, including the expressway.

According to the police, the farmers abducted the officials in front of district magistrate Deepak Aggarwal, senior superintendent of police Amitabh Yash and other senior district officials who were also present at the meeting at Dankore village.

The trouble began when the police tried to prevent armed men from neighbouring villages from entering the venue.

The farmers turned violent and took away the officials on motorbikes, said a police official.

"We have launched a hunt," said Laxman Verma, local police station chief.

Villagers, however, alleged the police started the violence by caning the protesters.