Police kill 4 protesting farmers in Noida

Police fired at protesting farmers, killing at least four of them, in Greater Noida. They were protesting over denial of enhanced compensation for land acquired from them.
Farmers in eight villages were led to a bloody confrontation with police on Wednesday, resulting in the police firing and subsequent killing of four of them. One constable, too, was killed in the violence.

Better compensation
Hundreds of farmers demanding higher compensation for their farmland acquired in 2006 broke through six layers of police barricades and security to stone the cops guarding the office of the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority. It is to be noted that market prices of the properties acquired from them is much more than what they have been given by the authorities.
The chairman of the authority, Lalit Srivastava, said that one cop was killed when he was run over by a tractor but the police were not willing to confirm the death.
Samajwadi Party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav has demanded registration of murder cases against those who had fired on the farmers. The Mayawati government, however, strongly defended the police action.

Government says no
The government maintains that the demand for revising the compensation given in 2006 was unjustified. They had been given the then prevailing rate of Rs 382 per square metre. The demand for new rates of Rs 850, effective only from April 1, 2007. couldn’t be applied to their cases.