India News | Police, Villagers Clash over Coal Project in Jharkhand

Godda (Jharkhand), Jan 19 (PTI) The police and villagers Thursday clashed over a coal project of the ECL at Taljhari area in Jharkhand's Godda district, police said.

Also Read | Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Approves Nine Investment Projects Worth Rs 1.53 Lakh Crore.

Also Read | India Slams Vandalisation of Two Hindu Temples in Australia, Calls Swift Probe and Action Against Perpetrators.

A few persons, including a police constable, reportedly received injuries in the clash and section 144 Cr PC was clamped in the area to maintain peace, police said.

The clash occurred when an Eastern Coalfield Limited team went to demarcate land for a mining project at Taljhari, about 285 km from Ranchi, Godda superintendent of police Nathu Singh Meena told PTI.

He said that over 100 villagers from four villages including Taljhari, assembled at the spot on Thursday to protest against the project.

“The villagers reached the project area armed with traditional weapons and demonstrated to thwart the demarcation work. Police personnel tried to convince them to withdraw. But some of the villagers threw arrows at police and one of them hit a woman constable on her finger," he said.

The police then resorted to using water cannons to disperse the crowd. Since the number of policemen present was more the protestors fled the spot, the SP said.

Later, the police held a meeting with a delegation of villagers, who assured that no further disturbance will be created. "If the work goes on peacefully on Friday, we will withdraw section 144 Cr PC frpm the area,” he said.

Meena claimed that only 20 per cent area of the four villages was acquired for the mining project and the villagers who have given land for the coal project were given compensation and jobs by ECL.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)