Agra, Sept. 18 -- Around 1,200 youths from the "upper-caste" community took to the streets in Agra on Friday to protest against the University Grants Commission (UGC). The protesters, travelling on nearly 100 tractors, were on their way to gherao the district collectorate when police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel stopped them.
The police had erected barricades with the help of four cranes and seven bulldozers around 200 metres ahead of Sanwai village in Etmadpur.
The protesters insisted on proceeding to the collectorate, leading to a heated argument and pushing and shoving between them and the police. Two companies of PAC and around 300 police personnel deployed at the spot pushed the protesters back towards the village to prevent the situation from escalating.
However, the protesters refused to disperse.
Around 3 pm, they broke through the barricades and moved towards the Agra-Firozabad highway. Police personnel chased them in an attempt to stop them. The protesters then sat on the highway and began reciting the Hanuman Chalisa.
The protest led to long queues of vehicles on the highway. Police detained 10 protesters to bring the situation under control. The area is also being monitored with the help of drones.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.