Muzaffarpur: Six policemen and several
protestors were injured and three vehicles, including a fire
tender was set ablaze in Bihar`s Muzaffarpur town in a
clash with locals protesting against the arrest of a social
worker on Friday.
Angry locals brick batted the police at different places
of the town injuring six policemen following which the police
lathicharged the protesters to bring the law and order
situation under control, official sources said.
Several protestors were injured in the lathicharge, the
sources said adding at least 12 others were held in different
parts of the town for breach of peace.
Earlier in the day, locals blocked NH-28 and set on
fire three vehicles to protest against the arrest and
hospitalisation last night of social worker Ajay Shankar
Sharma, who was on fast since October 2.
Sharma, who heads an apolitical outfit, had launched
his hunger strike in front of the gates of Kanti power plant
demanding power for villages within 5 km radius of it. He was
arrested and hospitalised following deterioration in his
health, the sources said.
Prohibitory orders have been clamped in the town by the
district authorities to prevent assembly of large number of
people in view of the prevailing tension and additional police
force deployed, they said.
Meanwhile, Kanti thermal power plant deputy general
manager C Bhattacharya said the demand for power supply to the
town and its neighbouring rural areas would be duely
considered after the expansion of the plant`s generation
capacity.
Meanwhile, Muzaffarpur`s Senior Superintendent of
Police (SSP) Rajesh Kumar said that strong action will be
taken against those people responsible for arson and damage to
public properties during protest against power supply from
Kanti thermal power plant to the nearby villages.
The protesters will be identified and imposed a
collective penalty, the SSP said.
PTI
