RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, March 8: The State government on Tuesday assured proper action after a probe within 24 hours in the matter of police action on villagers at Tandwa in Chatra.
The assurance came from parliamentary affairs minister Alamgir Alam after Congress legislator Amba Prasad supported by her party colleague Bandhu Tirkey and CPI(ML) legislator Binod Singh raised the issue in the house saying it was a matter of concern that police resorted to lathi-charge and firing of tear shells on the villagers agitating for proper compensation in lieu of their land given for the NTPC project.
As the legislators allied with the government raised the issue, BJP legislator C.P.Singh also supported them asking Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto to give proper attention to the issue raised by a woman legislator on International Women’s Day.
Speaker Mahto said the matter has already come to the knowledge of the government and it plans what to do. On which BJP legislator Singh said if the matter came into the knowledge of the government someone from the government should give a statement.
As BJP legislator Singh said, parliamentary affairs minister Alamgir Alam stood up to reply on behalf of the government and gave assurance of proper action.
A clash between villagers and police officials had taken place outside the NTPC office at Tandwa in Chatra district. As many as 20 persons, including villagers and policemen, sustained injuries in the city.
The incident took place around 2pm on Monday after a section of villagers, who had stopped the entry of any person closing the gate of NTPC in support of their demand for compensation against the land acquired for the NTPC project, also stopped the sub-divisional officer of the district, Sudhir Das, and manhandled him.
Police resorted to lathi-charge and used tear gas to disperse the villagers. Agitated villagers then set a couple of vehicles working for the basin plant of NTPC about 500m away from NTPC gate number 1 on fire and blocked Tandwa-Ranchi Main Road.
