Reuters AlertNet Lite - Dozens hurt in east India land grab protest

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Dozens hurt in east India land grab protest

08 Jan 2007 09:46:49 GMT
Source: Reuters

KOLKATA, India, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Dozens of people were injured on Monday in clashes between baton-wielding police and protesters as a strike against the acquisition of farm land for industrial development took hold in eastern India.

Authorities said 40 protesters were arrested in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal state, as many businesses, schools and transport services were shut and thousands of armed police stood guard.

The 24-hour strike was triggered by the deaths of five people near Kolkata on Sunday after activists from rival political parties clashed over plans to use agricultural land to create an industrial zone with the help of an Indonesian conglomerate.

The state, which has the world's longest-running democratically-elected communist government, is trying to woo more domestic and foreign investment but it has upset its core supporters of poor farmers and labourers.

Opposition parties have organised a series of mass protests over the land acquisition, closing businesses in much of Kolkata -- east India's commercial hub -- and other parts of the state.

"We are tired of strikes, but have no choice but to stay at home," Shubhomoy Chatterjee, an executive with a multinational company, said in Kolkata.

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Last updated:Mon Jan 8 09:48:23 2007