Ludhiana: Protest against biogas plant in Jagraon village; several detained, tear gas shells fired as villagers clash with cops

Residents of Akhara village in Jagraon, who have been protesting for long against a biogas plant, clashed with policemen when the latter tried to remove them from the protest site, resulting in detention of several of them on Saturday morning. According to information, cops had to fire tear gas shells and also use water cannons to disperse the protesters, including women and children.

The protesters, opposing the biogas factory, believe it would their environment, health and farming land. To stop the factory, the villagers had set up a permanent protest camp in front of the site. Following orders from the Punjab and Haryana high court, police and district administration officials, along with over 1,000 cops, moved into the village in the early morning hours and deployed JCB machines to break the protest camp. Several villagers were detained, leading to the protest. In no time, hundreds of villagers rushed from their homes, fields and other routes to reach the factory. They broke through police blockades and gathered again at the protest site. Police cane-charged them, used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them. Some villagers suffered minor injuries, but they refused to back down.

Women formed a human chain to block the police. As the situation became tense, senior police officers held talks with the villagers. After hours of discussions, police agreed to release the detained protesters. In return, the villagers agreed to clear the main road but continued their protest outside the factory.

This was the third big police action in the recent months. Each time, villagers have stopped the police from clearing the protest site. Even though the factory owners and officials have promised that the plant is safe, the villagers say they don’t trust these claims and fear for their future.

By evening, things were calmer but hundreds of villagers continued their protest while police stayed nearby. The villagers said they would not stop fighting and warned that they would resist even more strongly if the police used force again.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP, Ludhiana rural) Ankur Gupta said the agitators were removed from the protest site. Some of the villagers blocked the roads after the police action and we are exploring the legal opinion to lodge an FIR for blocking roads, he added.