A farmer died and three policemen were injured in a clash here as a group of protesters allegedly broke barricades put up by police with tractors and started going towards a railway track as part of a protest on Friday.
After this, police resorted to a lathicharge, lobbed tear gas shells and used water cannons to disperse the protesting farmers.
The injured were admitted to a hospital.
The farmers clashed with police near the Rajiv Gandhi thermal power project, Khedar, about 20 km from here.
The farmers were demanding that the fly ash emanating from thermal plant should not be auctioned and be given to them as before. They have been staging a dharna near the power plant for the past several weeks.
“A protester, aged around 58, has died. The protesters were heading to block a railway line for which police had put up barricades,” Hisar SP Lokender Singh said over the phone.
“While she was on his way to the spot, some youths among the protesters arrived on tractors and started breaking barricades with tractors. Three policemen and one protester were injured in the process. Later, the injured protester expired,” the SP said.
Farmers alleged that till now the fly ash coming out of the plant was being given to them by the power plant but now it is being said that it would be auctioned. Farmers are opposing this decision.
The farmers had earlier announced to block the railway track near the Khedar plant in protest.
The road was closed by police by putting barricades.
However, hundreds of farmers gathered near the plant. Police said they broke the barricades put up by them and started going towards the railway track and clashed with the cops.
It is alleged that during this some people pelted police with stone.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Kumari Selja in a statement said the farmers were holding a peaceful protest but police resorted to a lathicharge, resulting in the death of one farmer and leaving several others injured.
Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala also alleged that farmer Dharampal Saharan died as police used water cannons and resorted to a lathicharge.
