Cops cane villagers to free company officials

ANGUL: Tension prevailed at Raijharan village after police on Tuesday resorted to lathicharge, injuring as many as 40 persons, when they resisted attempts to free seven officials of Monnet Ispat and Jindal Steel and Power Limited.The injured have been admitted to Angul hospital.  Four cops, including the sub-divisional police officer RK Singh, were also injured in the stone pelting by the villagers, said SP Satyabrata Bhoi.Police said officials of Monnet and JSPL had gone to Golagadia village, near Raijharan to hold talks on land acquisition. Piqued over the talks without informing them, Raijharan villagers held the officials hostage. When police and local tehsildar tried to free them, villagers started pelting stones at them resulting in lathicharge, police added. The villagers, however, accused the police of unleashing terror on the plea of rescuing the officials.