Greater Noida Authority officials and policemen were attacked by villagers near Noida Extension when they went to demolish some unauthorised dwellings and shops at the outskirts of Haibatpur village on Monday.
Several policemen were injured after an angry mob set a shop on fire and vandalised a construction office. The villagers targeted the police with burning tyres.
The mob violence was contained in two hours but the anti-encroachment drive was suspended.
Noida SSP Praveen Kumar told reporters a PAC unit was deployed in the area.
The police said villagers encroached on land falling in the reserved green belt. Several local builders too had “sold” green belt land, though district magistrate M.K.S. Sudaram said he had warned people not to buy land in the flood zone area.
Some residents claimed dealers had told them that the plots did not belong to the authority.