Thaindian News

Gurgaon, July 16 (IANS) Agitating farmers Monday vandalised the Rewari district secretariat in Haryana, damaging government property and vehicles, police said. At least a dozen protestors were injured in a police cane-charge that followed.

The villagers later laid seige to the secretariat and locked its main gate for five hours, police said.

Superintendent of Police Abhishek Garg said a case was being registered against the protestors for damaging public property.

The residents had been protesting outside the secretariat for a week against the acquisition of their land and demolition of houses in the district, some 55 km from here.

The agitating villagers alleged that some people threw stones at them from the roof of the secretariat.

Following the cane-charge, the protestors locked the main gate of the secretariat and raised slogans against the government.

Politicians owing allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Lok Dal reached the spot and assured the protestors of their support.

The protestors have called for a shutdown in Rewari and Bawal areas Wednesday. The District Bar Association also extended its support to the protesters and decided to strike work.

A woman protestor, who was critically injured, was referred to a Delhi hospital for treatment.

Another seriously injured person was later rushed to a hospital in Rohtak.

The protest began after the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corp. (HSIIDC) began the process to acquire nearly 3,800 acres of agricultural land in 16 villages of the district for developing industrial sectors and served notices to the land-owners.