Sachin Pilot held en route to Bhatta-Parsaul

On the day the Congress MP was arrested, the PM announced financial assistance to farmers who were wounded in the agitation

Sachin Pilot held en route to Bhatta-Parsaul

On the day the Congress MP was arrested, the PM announced financial assistance to farmers who were wounded in the agitation

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday announced financial aid for victims of violence in Greater Noida, as Congress leader Sachin Pilot made an effort to visit Bhatta-Parsaul, which was the epicentre of a farmers' protest earlier this month. The Prime Minister's announcement for financial aid to the families of farmers who were wounded in the agitation in Bhatta-Parsaul came a day after the National Commission for Women (NCW) recommended a CBI probe into the violence and slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for alleged atrocities against women.

Village-turned-cantonment: Several units of the UP police have
been deployed in Bhatta-Parsaul, the epientre of the agitation. File picu00a0

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office said Rs 50,000 would be given to those seriously injured in the stir and Rs 10,000 to those who suffered minor injuries. Pilot, who is minister of state for communications, yesterday tried to make his way to Bhatta-Parsaul, but was arrested briefly and then released by the Uttar Pradesh Police. He was stopped and arrested near Lal Kuan on National Highway 24. He was detained under Section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code and was taken to a nearby police station and later escorted back to his Delhi residence.

Pilot was trying to go to Bhatta-Parsaul after visiting villagers lodged in the Dasna jail near Ghaziabad.
"We not only wanted to go to Bhatta-Parsaul but also to surrounding villages where farmers have been given notice for acquiring land. The police blocked the national highway for over an hour,u00a0 detained us without giving any reasonu00a0 and then brought us to the police lines saying 'you will break law and order,'" Pilot said.

Bhatta-Parsaul hit the headlines on May 7 after four people, including two policemen, were killed when villagers clashed with policemen while agitating for higher compensation for their land acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government for development projects.

About 25 villagers are said to have been detained, though the police were silent about this. Most men aged between 18-55 have fled their homes from the village following the incident, fearing a crackdown by the cops.
"We are not breaking any law. We were going to Bhatta-Parsaul to console the families of villagers. My arrest is unjustified," Pilot said.

He is among several Congress MPs who have tried visiting Bhatta-Parsaul after party general secretary Rahul Gandhi surprised the Mayawati government with his visit to the village. Gandhi was later arrested and released by the state police. Gandhi had told the villagers that the Congress will not rest till they get justice. The Congress has demanded a judicial probe into the violence.Gandhi had also taken a delegation of villagers to meet the PM. The Mayawati government has denied charges of police atrocities on farmers.