Dhanbad, Apr 28: Indefinite curfew, imposed after a clash during an anti-encroachment drive, continued for the second day today, crippling mining activities here as the toll in the violence climbed to four with the death of an injured protester.
Critically injured Sanjay Paswan died late last night, DIG (Coalbelt) Umesh Kumar Singh said, adding that of the 21 injured, the condition a person was stated to be critical. Meanwhile, mining activities at Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) and Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) were affected, sources said.
The Delhi-Kolkata road route was paralysed following a road blockade put up by Marxist Coordination Committee MLA Arup Chatterjee and his supporters on NH-32 in protest of yesterday's police firing.
Twenty seven people arrested yesterday have been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days, police said. Among the 27 arrested people are former ministers Bacha Singh and O P Lal (in undivided Bihar), Congress MLA Manan Mallick and Deputy Mayor Niraj Singh.
Deputy Commissioner Sunil Kumar Burnwal told reporters essential services like supply of water, milk and medical services have been exempted from the indefinite curfew, which was imposed last evening.
Curfew has been imposed in Dhanbad town after police clashed with anti-encroachment protesters and fired at them in Matkoria area.The clash broke out when locals resisted demolition of their houses at Matkoria under Kenduadih police station. The residents, who allegedly encroached upon the land of Bharat Coking Coal Limited, had been served a notice to vacate the area.
The anti-encroachment drive has been going on at various places in the state for the last four weeks after the high court directed the administration to implement its orders passed between 2003 and 2006 against encroachment of government land.
On April 5, two persons had been killed and 20 others injured when police opened fire on protesters of anti-encroachment drive at Islam Nagar in Ranchi. PTI
