By Girish Kumar Dubey
Locals of Ram Nagar near Varanasi in northern India's state of Uttar Pradesh, clashed with a police party on Wednesday (December 07).
The police personnel had come to arrest certain Hindu Sadhus (ascetics) who were protesting against setting up of a proposed tortoise sanctuary on the land occupied by them.
According to the ascetics, the proposed sanctuary would be constructed on their land, which they said had been bought by them from the villagers.
However the administration claimed that this land belongs to state government and had been earmarked for the sanctuary in 2009.
Consequently, the locals resorted to pelting stones on the police and even attacked them with sticks as a protest against the forceful detention of the ascetics.
Present at the ground zero, Ravinder, District Magistrate of Varanasi said ascetics did not have any permission to stage protest and also asserted that the land belonged to the Forest Department.
"Recently, we got information about the construction of hermitage on the land. In this regard, the Forest Department had issued a notice of objection at which some protesting ascetics were staging a sit-in demonstration. Recently, they had burnt three pyres and threatened of self-immolation. So, the police and magistrate had come here, since they had not taken permission for the demonstration and when police tried to arrest, they started pelting stones. Two policemen and one woman have been injured in the scuffle," said Ravinder.
However, on his part, Swami Krishnanand, head of hermitage said that they had informed the administration about the protest well in advance and charged the police of citing some excuse to arrest them.
"They were all sitting on demonstration. Ascetics were sitting on protest only after informing DM (District Magistrate), SP (Superintendent of Police) and Mayawati (Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh). Administration never came here to ask about us. And when they came they baton charged the ascetics and started beating before arresting them," said Swami Krishanand.
The brawl between the villagers and police resulted in a tense situation in the area forcing administration to deploy a large number of police force to maintain law and order.
Locals of village near Varanasi in northern India's state of Uttar Pradesh, clash with a police party that came to arrest Hindu ascetics protesting against a proposed tortoise sanctuary.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
RAM NAGAR, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (DECEMBER 07, 2011) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC)
1. EXTERIOR OF THE CAMP
2. POLICE IN SCUFFLE WITH ASCETICS
3. POLICE FORCEFULLY PUSHING ASCETICS OUT OF CAMP
4. POLICE TAKING ASCETICS IN POLICE JEEPS
5. VILLAGERS RUNNING WITH LOGS
6. VILLAGERS ATTACKING POLICE PERSONNEL WITH STICKS
7. VILLAGERS PELTING STONES
8. VILLAGERS PELTING STONES ON THE POLICE JEEPS
9. VILLAGERS RUNNING AFTER THE POLICE JEEPS
10. VILLAGERS TAKING AN INJURED WOMAN
11. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) RAVINDER, DISTRICT MAGISTRATE OF VARANASI, SAYING:
"Recently, we got information about the construction of hermitage on the land. In this regard, the Forest Department had issued a notice of objection at which some protesting ascetics were staging a sit-in demonstration. Recently, they had burnt three pyres and threatened of self-immolation. So, the police and magistrate had come here, since they had not taken permission for the demonstration and when police tried to arrest, they started pelting stones. Two policemen and one woman have been injured in the scuffle."
12. GROUP OF POLICE PERSONNEL WALKING
13. TALKING TO POLICE OFFICIALS
14. POLICE FORCE BEING DEPLOYED IN THE AREA
15. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) SWAMI KRISHNANAND, HEAD OF THE HERMITAGE, SAYING:
"They were all sitting on demonstration. Ascetics were sitting on protest only after informing DM (District Magistrate), SP (Superintendent of Police) and Mayawati (Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh). Administration never came here to ask about us. And when they came they baton charged the ascetics and started beating before arresting them."
16. ENTRANCE OF THE CAMP
17. A BANNER AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE CAMP
18. PEOPLE STANDING
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