Firing on farmers: Mayawati orders judicial probe

With the opposition led by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav getting belligerent over the firing on farmers protesting against inadequate compensation for land acquired for the ambitious Yamuna Expressway project, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has got into a damage control mode.

Besides giving marching orders to the district magistrates and superintendents of police of both Aligarh and Mathura districts, in a late Sunday evening move, Mayawati ordered a judicial inquiry into the firing on protesting farmers in an area bordering the two districts where land had been acquired for the 165-km long Yamuna expressway between Noida and Agra, resulting to the killing of four people.

Making the announcement at a hurriedly convened press conference, state cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said, "The chief minister has also declared a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs to each of the two persons killed in the firing."

As for the dispute over the claim staked by the protestors, who were demanding payment towards their acquired land at the same rate as admissible in Noida and Greater Noida, the government had decided to constitute a review committee headed by the divisional commissioner.

 "While a committee headed by the commissioner will take a fresh look at the farmers' demand, I would like to point out that the existing rate was finalised after consulting them only; in fact, nearly half the farmers had already taken their money and gone, but the remaining ones had chosen to make it an issue on account of instigation by certain opposition parties," Singh remarked.

In an obvious retort to Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav's threat to launch a statewide agitation against the government action, he sought to emphasize, "The chief minister wishes to make it loud and clear that her government will under no circumstances compromise with the interest of the farmers for the sake of affluent industrial houses."

He went a step further by adding, "The chief minister has also sought to point out how the former Samajwadi Party government had unleashed terror on farmers who demanded compensation for their land acquired for the Dadri power project."

The cabinet secretary also conveyed Mayawati's 'concern over the manner in which the interests of farmers were compromised by the Congress-led Central government for setting up special economic zones in different parts of the country."