PATNA: An irate mob injured over a dozen cops and set two bikes ablaze in a land- acquisition drive at Digha- Rajiv Nagar on Saturday morning.The drive was conducted by Patna district administration in association with Patna Police to hand over total six acres of land belonging to Bihar State Housing Board (BSHB). The land was being acquired to set up offices of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) along with Rajiv Nagar police station DSP (law- and- order) Rakesh Kumar said around 150 miscreants started pelting stone around 10am, adding half a dozen of them had been detained for interrogation. Sources said the violence occurred after some rumor mongers spread the news that administration had come to evict people, who have constructed houses by encroaching around 400 acres of land of BSHB on the western flank of Ashiana-Digha road.Taking into account the sensitivity of the matter and clash in the locality on the same issue in the past, district administration and police officers were monitoring the drive and they had come since 5 in the morning. Around 200 cops were deployed on duty and schools in the neighborhood remained closed.Patna district Magistrate Kumar Ravi said in a press- statement, "Possession of only six acre of land had to be done and nothing beyond that. Barricading of those plots was done today (Friday). People should be aware of rumor mongers".He added that FIR will be lodged against those trying to disrupt the peace. Additional district magistrate Ashutosh Kumar said advertisements had earlier been published in the newspapers, asking people to come with necessary documents and get the compensation, but no one had come till date.Of total six acres, 2.5 acres had been allotted to Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) for constructing its regional headquarters building, 2.5 acres to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for constructing its Bihar-Jharkhand regional office and one acre to Rajeev Nagar police station. CBSE regional officer Jagdish Singh Burman who was present at the spot said, "We had deposited the premium to BSHB in July 2017 and today we have taken over the procession."In 1974, the state government had acquired 1034.52 acres of land in Rajiv Nagar locality from the farmers, in which 600 acres were on the eastern flank and 424.52 acre on the western flank of Ashiana-Digha Road. Problem started after eastern part were sold and many houses had been built, following which the state government came up with Digha Land Acquisition Settlement Act in 2012 and Digha Land Settlement rules and Schemes in 2014 and after paying the penalty houses on the eastern side were regularised. However, 300 acres out of 400 acre of land on the other side of the road is still to be acquired by the BSHB for constructing high rise buildings.

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