POLICE DO FORENSIC PROBE INTO VIOLENCE IN NORTH INDIAN VILLAGE

NATURAL WITH HINDI SPEECH

DURATION: 1:55

SOURCE: ANI

TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS: NO ACCESS BBC

Police conduct forensic probe into farmers' violence in north India.

Police collect samples for forensic tests from burnt houses of the controversy ridden Bhatta-Parsaul village, the epicentre of the farmers' protests, in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state.

SHOWS:

NOIDA, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (MAY 17, 2011) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC)

1. MOTORCYCLE PLYING ON A ROAD

2. A SIGNBOARD READING 'BHATTA GAON'

3. A MAN CHECKING FOR SAMPLES IN BURNT DEBRIS

4. A MAN DIGGING IN BURNT DEBRIS

5. SAMPLE COLLECTED BEING SHOWN

6. DOOR OF A BURNT HOUSE

7. DAMAGED FURNITURE INSIDE A HOUSE

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) JYOTI NARAYAN, SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE OF NOIDA, SAYING:"Yesterday, in front of the magistrate and some selected people of the village, we collected some samples. And those will be sent to the forensic laboratory as per the procedure. There had been allegations that the villagers had hidden ammunitions. There were also allegations of human remains there. We wanted to investigate all these allegations."

9. A LOCK ON A DOOR

10. GOODS AND FURNITURE IN A RANSACKED HOUSE

11. A BROKEN POT INSIDE A HOUSE

12. POLICE VEHICLE ON A ROAD

13. VILLAGERS TRAVELLING ON TRACTORS

STORY: Police collected samples for forensic tests from the burnt houses of the controversy ridden Bhatta-Parsaul village in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state on Tuesday (May 17).

Villagers of Bhatta-Parsaul, the epicentre of the farmers' protest, had claimed police, during their crackdown on the agitation, had ransacked and burnt their houses. Some had even claimed that a number of protesters had been burnt alive.

Jyoti Narayan, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Noida district, said they were carrying out forensic investigations based on the allegations.

"Yesterday, in front of the magistrate and some selected people of the village, we collected some samples. And those will be sent to the forensic laboratory as per the procedure. There had been allegations that the villagers had hidden ammunitions. There were also allegations of human remains there. We wanted to investigate all these allegations," he said.

Four people, including two policemen, had been killed on May 7 when villagers clashed with policemen over higher compensation for their lands acquired by the Uttar Pradesh state government for development projects.

Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi had visited the village earlier and had released photos of burnt bodies, ashes, bones, and ransacked houses to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the media on Sunday (May 16).

Gandhi had stated women had been raped and that there was a pile of ashes 70 feet high in the village.

The farmers have been opposing acquisition of their lands by the government since January 2011, demanding better compensation from the authorities.

Seeking a judicial inquiry into atrocities on farmers in the state, Gandhi had demanded the release of all jailed people.

Gandhi had visited Bhatta-Parsaul village last week, surprising the Mayawati government of northern Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested and later released.

The farmers' unrest over land acquisition spread to other districts such as Mathura and Agra on May 8 as protesting villagers pelted stones at police and torched several vehicles, demanding higher compensation for their land acquired for the Yamuna Expressway.

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