Protesting villagers clash with cops, 150 injured

Protests by residents of two villages in the district over disposal of chemical waste in the area today led to violence, with around 150 people including four police personnel getting injured.
Police detained some 120 persons in two incidents.
"People in Budiyav village today attacked police party when we tried to stop them from taking law in their hands while protesting against Colourtex company for allegedly disposing of hazardous chemicals in the area," said assistant commissioner of police Mukesh Patel.
"People started throwing stones and attacked the police team with bats and sticks. I myself, a woman sub-inspector and two constables were injured," said Patel. The police then lathi-charged and lobbed ten tear-gas shells to disperse the crowd, said the ACP.

In the second event, people of nearby Bipli village, protesting against the same company, blocked the traffic on Sachin-Magdalla highway.
They threw stones, injuring several police personnel and damaging wind-screens of two police vehicles, he said.

Protesters flattened the tyres of private vehicles on the highway by removing air, so police had to lathi-charge, he said.
The villagers alleged that police ransacked their houses and broke wind-shields of their vehicles. "Police lathi-charged and damaged our properties when we were demonstrating against the company," said a resident of Bipli.
"The company's operations are hazardous for health and therefore we were protesting. However, the Surat police acted against us and they put us under house-arrest for more than four hours," said another villager.