One injured in firing by UP police

BILASPUR: At least one person was injured in village Amwar of Baalrampur district, about 350 km from here, when police personnel from Uttar Pradesh fired upon a group of protesting villagers this morning. At the same time four women also sustained injuries when the UP police cane charged the protesting crowd.
Speaking to TOI Balrampur SP Sadanand Kumar informed that village Amwar borders UP.A dam is being constructed at the site. About four to five villages of Chhattisgarh are also coming under the submergence area of this dam, including a large portion of village Amwar. Residents of these villages of Chhattisgarh have been long protesting construction of the said dam, fearing displacement once the dam is completed.
This morning a large group of villagers from Amwar had gathered at the dam site and were protesting. On the other side of the border there is an outpost of UP police. According to Sadanand Kumar, some of the villagers, while protesting, pelted stones at the UP police, who retaliated by opening fire on the villagers. As a result one person was injured in the incident, who has been rushed to the district hospital of Balrampur. Condition of the injured is stable, said Kumar adding that the UP police did not cooperate when his SDOP and other staff arrived at the spot. Kumar too has rushed to the spot, which is about 40 odd km from the district headquarters.
The dam ar Amwar is being being built on river Kanhar, which flows through the Sonbhadra district of UP.
The villagers have been protesting against land acquisition for the dam and fear of being displaced from their ancestral lands.
The person who was injured has been identified as Akku Kharwar, a tribal leader who is among those who are leading the protest against the dam.
Unconfirmed reports said that as many as eight persons have been injured in the incident, some of them grievously. However, as per SP Balrampur Sadanand Kumar only one person has been injured in the incident.
Today's protest was organised to coincide with Ambedkar Jaayanti, to mark it as a 'Save the Constitution Day.'
Meanwhile, speaking to TOI, Balrampur district collector Alex Paul Menon informed that among the injured there were four women as well, who sustained injuries as the police cane charged the protesting crowd to disperse them.
Menon further said that as such there is no issue as the UP government has agreed to construct a ring wall around the land expected to be submerged on Chhattisgarh side, so that no land or houses are inundated. Moreover, a survey, the third of its kind, is being carried out to find out the exact area to be submerged when the dam would be at its fdull tank level.
Menon also said that there were some vested interest who were trying to politicize the issue and create unrest among the villagers and gain mileage out of it.