Chauldhowa (Assam): For the second
consecutive day today, police fired in the air and burst
teargas shells to evict anti-dam protesters who blocked NH-52
on the border of Lakhimpur-Dhemaji districts in Assam and
pelted stones at security forces.
Several protestors, including women, and police personnel
were injured in the lathicharge and stone throwing, official
sources said.
Thousands of protestors demonstrating against the
construction of the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri hydro-electric
project at Lakhimpur reassembled here this morning to continue
with their indefinite road blockade on the highway, which
links Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
When they refused to allow a vehicle of National
Hydroelectric Power Corporation, which is constructing the
Lower Subansiri project, to pass the police and CRPF present
resorted to lathicharge in the presence of a huge gathering of
journalists.
Four persons, including a woman was injured in the
lathicharge and the restive protestors pelted stones at the
security personnel injuring some of them, the sources said.
The security forces then burst tear shells and fired in
the air to disperse the protestors, who, however, did not
budge.
Slogans like "Give blood but do not allow construction of
the hydro-electric project" were raised by the protestors,
who put up barricades by placing boulders, felling trees and
burning tyres to stop the security forces from advancing
towards them.
The standoff was continuing when last reports came in,
the sources said.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, December 27, 2011, 15:12