Over 12 injured in clash between MCC activists and CISF in Dhanbad

More than 12 people were allegedly injured in a clash between activists of Marxists Coordination Committee MCC and Central Industrial Security Force CISF personnel on Thursday in Jharkhands Dhanbad district, police said.The clash occurred around 9.30 am during gherao of the DVCs Maithon administrative building by MCC workers led by former Nirsa MLA Arup Chaterjee in protest against the eviction notice to the Maithon Dam-based shopowners.Chatterjee alleged that CISF personnel resorted to lathicharge on the activists who were demonstrating peacefully.

More than 12 people were allegedly injured in a clash between activists of Marxists Coordination Committee (MCC) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel on Thursday in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district, police said.

The clash occurred around 9.30 am during gherao of the DVC’s Maithon administrative building by MCC workers led by former Nirsa MLA Arup Chaterjee in protest against the eviction notice to the Maithon Dam-based shopowners.

Chatterjee alleged that CISF personnel resorted to lathicharge on the activists who were demonstrating peacefully. ''More than a dozen MCC activists and shopowners were injured in the lathicharge by the CISF personnel,'' Chatterjee claimed.

The injured persons, mostly MCC workers, were admitted to BP Neogi Hospital in Maithon.

CISF DIG Vijay Kajla told reporters that the agitators who were gheraoing the DVC administrative building turned violent all of a sudden and started brickbating security personnel. ''CISF had to resort to mild force to disperse the agitating crowd'', he said.

Maithon police station officer-in-charge Rajnish Kumar and Gyarahkund block development officer (BDO) Binod Kumar Karmkar also reached the spot and controlled the situation.

Asked about lathicharge, Kumar said that they were probing the incident. ''We will be able to say whether lathicharge took place or not only after the investigation gets completed'', he said.

Earlier, the agitators blocked all entrances to the administrative building, stopping the entry of staff and officials.

Chatterjee said, ''We were trying to negotiate with DVC officials over eviction notices to Maithon Dam-based shopkeepers. But they did not call us to talk. Today we reached there for a peaceful demonstration when CISF resorted to lathicharge''.