Gujarat: 60 Farmers Detained, 10 Injured; Police Fires Tear Gas in Bhavnagar

Farmers were protesting against Gujarat Power Corporation Limited

New Delhi, April 1: Over 50 farmers, who were protesting against Gujarat Power Corporation Limited for taking away their lands, were detained by the police in Padva village of Bhavnagar district in Gujarat on Sunday. The local head of a farmers’ group alleged that the police manhandled the protesters, including women and children, and fired tear gas shells and used baton to disperse them.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bhavnagar said that 700 police personnel were deployed, 40 tear gas shells were fired. We will talk with the farmers on the issue.

Gujarat: 60 farmers detained, 10 injured due to tear gas shells, in Bhavnagar’s Padva, during protest against possession of their land by Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd. DSP Bhavnagar says, ‘700 police personnel deployed, 40 tear gas shells were fired.We’ll talk with the farmers.’ pic.twitter.com/AQgkPEb9eq

— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2018

However, farmers claimed that they were carrying out a peaceful march against the company but they had deployed large policemen to stop us.

Almost 20 years ago Gujarat Power Corporation has acquired over 3000 acres of land from about 1200 farmers across 12 villages under the Ghogha taluka in Bhavnagar. They wanted to set up lignite plant. But the company did not set up the plant for some reasons and from then these lands were in possession of farmers. They used for cultivation and has recently opposed this acquisition.

As quoted by PTI, the farmers had also filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court saying that the company will have to initiate a fresh procedure to acquire the land under a new law enacted in 2013. The law states that an agency will have to initiate a new procedure to acquire land if it did not take its possession for more than five years after acquiring it.

(With Agency Inputs)