Police resorted to lathicharge as protesters pelted stones and torched vehicles.
Twenty people, including five policemen, were injured in Mathura today after hundreds of farmers clashed with the police demanding more compensation for their land acquired for building the Gokul Barrage on the Yamuna.
According to police, the BJP yuva morcha along with hundreds of farmers blocked the Gokul-Mathura road near the barrage.
The trouble started when Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Dhiren Pratap went to the spot to pacify the protesters. The protesters pushed the Superintendent of Police (City) Manoj Sonkar during the negotiations, the ADM said, adding that police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob.
The mob in turn pelted stones at the policemen and also torched six vehicles.
"At least five policemen were injured and have been hospitalised," said Mathura SSP Manzil Saini.
According to police sources, about 15 protesters also suffered minor injuries and were undergoing treatment at the district hospital.
Inspector General of Police Sunil Kumar Gupta also reached the spot.
District Magistrate (DM) Rajesh Kumar and the SSP were taking round of Damodarpura, one of the seven villages where the farmers have been affected.
The DM said the situation was under control and that the administration was holding talks with the protesters on the compensation issue.
The residents of Damodarpura village had stayed away from celebrating Diwali this year in protest against the failure of the district administration to pay them compensation for their land submerged after construction of Gopal barrage, despite several assurances in the past.
Owing to faulty design of the barrage, around 1,000 acre of land of over 1,500 farmers got submerged in water, about two decades ago, said one of the protesters.
"We have made several representations, but except for false assurance we could get nothing," the protester said.