Jaipur, Dec. 12 -- Congress MLA Rupinder Singh Kooner along with 39 other protesters have been detained on Thursday a day after the violent clash that erupted between the police and farmers on Wednesday evening when they allegedly demolished a wall of an under-construction ethanol factory in Hanumangarh. Additional director general of police (law and order), VK Singh told the local media, "Wednesday's violent clash was provoked by some outsiders. Some public representatives' names also came to the fore. We are investigating the matter. An FIR was lodged against 107 people at the Tibbi police station in Hanumangarh. Around 40 people were also detained on Thursday." "Everything was going peacefully. The incident happened in the evening when some outsiders started provoking the protesters and they became violent. We had clear instructions to the police to not use any force on the protesters. But, they had to use some mild force only when the situation went out of control," he added. According to the officer, the protesters torched at least 16 vehicles on Wednesday while at least 36 police officers were also injured when the farmers pelted stones at them. Five of them are critical. "I, along with the Range IG and the superintendent of police visited the spot on Thursday afternoon. We have also spoken to the villagers- many of whom want this factory to be established. This factory will provide jobs to 700 to 800 people in the area while it will also benefit around 1,000 people. Police have handled the situation tactfully. Protesters must not pay heed to the outsiders who are provoking them. District administration further sat with the farmers on Thursday to discuss their issues," said Singh. On Wednesday, Congress MLA Abhimanyu Poonia was injured after a massive clash that erupted between the police and farmers who broke the wall of an under-construction Ethanol factory in the district that was allegedly causing pollution near agricultural fields. The local farmers in the area have been protesting against the construction of the ethanol factory in Hanumangarh district's Rathikhera village under Tibbi sub division. "This factory will cause severe air and water pollution, groundwater depletion, and adverse effects on agriculture in the vicinity. Hence, the farmers have been protesting against it for the last 15 months and demanding the government to immediately close it," said the Congress MP from Sriganganagar, Kuldeep Indora who was one of the leaders in the protest. On Wednesday, a delegate of the protesting farmers along with Indora and Poonia reached the local SDM office to discuss the matter but the dialogue was not satisfactory. Officials said that the farmers, following the meeting with the SDM, reached the factory with hundreds of tractors through which they broke a wall of the factory. To disperse the crowd, police lathi-charged them, used tear shells but in retaliation the farmers also started pelting stones creating a ruckus in the area. Poonia, on Thursday, speaking to the media, said, "Our protest will be continued until the government closes this factory. They have detained our MLA Kunoor and many other Congress leaders unlawfully. Who are they calling outsiders? It was some common farmers who had been protesting. Why did the government need to apply their force on them? At least 70 of our farmers have been injured. Why does the government want to continue this factory despite several objections by the farmers?" Poonia asked. After Wednesday's violence, many of the farmers took shelter in a local Gurudwara where they also held a mahapanchayat in the morning with all the protesters when police arrived to detain 40 of them including MLA Kooner, Congress district president Karan Saharan, and PCC member Vikas Gaur. Following the development, they further reached the SDM office where a discussion was underway with the administrators. In view of the tense situation in the area, the internet has been shut in Tibbi since Wednesday night while an additional police force was also deployed to keep a watch on the situation. Meanwhile, state law minister Jogaram Patel, on Thursday called the protest "Congress-sponsored". "They have conspired and provoked the farmers. Congress has deliberately chosen the time of Pravasi Rajasthani Divas summit on Wednesday to launch this violence in the state. Construction of this factory was approved by the Congress itself during their last tenure. Why are they protesting now?" Meanwhile, the agriculture minister Kirodi Lal Meena, said, "This is going to be the biggest Ethanol plant in the country. A suitable environment for investments is being created in the state. Farmers need to understand this. If such clashes keep happening in the state, there will be no investment. They must keep their words in a democratic way. Violence is never an option."...