A senior police officer was killed and dozens of people, including at least two senior police officials, were injured on Thursday afternoon in exchange of firing between police and encroachers in the Jawahar Bagh locality of this city.
Station Officer Farah Santosh Kumar Yadav was killed on the spot as the encroachers -- said to be followers of a religious sect -- allegedly fired at police who had gone there to get the area cleared of encroachments.
The Mathura city Superintendent of Police and the area Circle Officer were seriously injured in the fracas and sent to district hospital for treatment.
District officials said the situation has since been brought under control and additional forces deployed in the area.
Police said senior district officials reached Jawahar Bagh -- spread over 280 acres and maintained by the horticulture department -- to evict the encroachers staying put there for the past two years.
The encroachers threw hand grenades and bombs at the police and beat up many of them. The number of casualties among the sqatters is still unknown. Officials refused to comment on the situation.
