Ghaziabad (UP), February 15 A protest against a local landfill site turned violent on Sunday afternoon in Meerpur Hindu village in Loni, as farmers and police personnel engaged in a heated confrontation, leading to alleged stone-throwing and police baton-charge, injuring both farmers and police officers.
The unrest began when local residents reportedly broke open the main gates of the dumping ground to stage a sit-in.
The situation later escalated, resulting in alleged injuries to both police and farmers, and a verbal altercation on social media.
The protesters alleged that the police launched a brutal baton-charge to disperse the crowd.
A farmer named Manoj Kumar claimed that approximately 50 to 60 protesters sustained injuries to their hands and heads. Viral videos circulating on social media appear to show protesters displaying various injuries allegedly due to the police action.
Loni Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Siddhartha Gautam categorically denied allegations of baton-charge.
In a statement, the ACP said that the police did not use force.
"The protesters resorted to stone-throwing, which left two police officers injured. The injured officers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment," he said.
The police, however, did not show the pictures of the injured cops, nor disclosed their names.
ACP Gautam said that "the law and order situation is currently under control." Security remains heightened in the area to prevent further incidents.