Agra:
Farmers demanding a better deal for their land acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government for the Yamuna Expressway project continued their agitation on Monday. Yamuna Expressway is a 165 km road link from Noida to Agra.
In Chaugan village next to the Delhi-Agra Expressway, agitated farmers turned on the police pelting stones, injuring a dozen security personnel including the Deputy Superintendent of Police and the Sub Divisional Magistrate. Police vehicles were also destroyed in the incident.
Under political pressure, the Mayawati has relented and offered farmers a better compensation. It has also released one of their leaders arrested earlier. But sources tell NDTV that the farmers seem to have rejected Mayawati's offer.
In an overnight development on Monday, Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh agreed to raise compensation money for farmers after protests continued in parts of the state.
The state government said farmers will now be paid 570 rupees per square feet instead of 436 per square feet earlier. The government has also decided double the compensation for the farmers who died in the protests to 10 lakh rupees. It added that no farmer will now be forced to part with his land if they he doesn't want to.
Farmers' leader Rambabu Kathalia has also been released.
Since Saturday, four farmers have died in clashes between police and agitating protesters in Aligarh and Mathura.
Uproar in Lok Sabha over up farmers' agitation
There was uproar in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday as well over the issue of the farmers' protests in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh and Mathura regions over land acquisition for the Yamuna Expressway.
The ruling BSP government was cornered with opposition and the Congress uniting against Mayawati and alleging that land was forcefully taken away from farmers.
(Farmers row: Congress, opposition unite against Mayawati)Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav demanded that a report be filed on the issue. BJP's Rajnath Singh also spoke about farmers' land being acquired forcibly.
Defending its stand, BSP's Dara Singh replied that compensation has been increased and that it's been announced on Tuesday that no land would be acquired forcibly.
On Monday too, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned repeatedly with the Opposition demanding a discussion over the farmers' demands.