Thane farmers protests: Congress demands judicial probe

Thane (Maharashtra), June 23 (IANS) Maharashtra's opposition Congress on Friday demanded a judicial probe into Thursday's police action against farmers protesting land takeover for a proposed domestic airport near Kalyan.

Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said after speaking with the villagers on the pending issue, it was clear that the government was trying to muzzle the farmers' voice.

Since the past over 75 years, the farmers have been farming in the areas and the manner in which the Defence Ministry was attempting to snatch away their livelihood smacks of injustice, he said, demanding a judicial probe.

In a massive protest by farmers opposing land acquistion on Thursday, 12 policemen were injured and another 12 farmers were injured when police fired pellet guns to control the crowds.

Three police vehicles were set ablaze and two trucks were damaged, and burning tyres and tree logs were used to blocked the Ambernath-Dombivali Road and Kalyan-Haji Malang Road near Nevali in Thane during the protests.

Vikhe-Patil visited the injured farmers and police personnel undergoing treatment in different hospitals and spoke with them.

"Instead of politicising this issue, the Shiv Sena must help resolve the issue since its a member of the ruling coalition both at the centre and in Maharasthra," he added.

Taking serious note of the violence, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre has convened a meeting on June 29 in New Delhi to hammer out a solution, said Kalyan Lok Sabha MP Shrikant Shinde.

On Friday, police initiated proceedings against many of the protestors by booking them under various charges, including violence, attempt to murder and damage to public property.

Farmers from 17 surrounding villages have been opposing the acquisition of the abandoned airstrip for constructing a new airport at Nevali, around 40 km north-east of Mumbai.

A Defence Ministry spokesperson said the land was owned by the Ministry. "The Navy is constructing a peripheral boundary wall to protect and safeguard the defence land from further encroachments."

The bone of contention is a 1,600-acre plot with an airstrip, the land for which was acquired from the neighbouring villages during the British regime in the 1930s but later allowed to languish.

Over the years, due to neglect, local land mafia started to encroach on different areas after which the Defence Ministry started constructing a boundary wall to prevent further illegal occupation of its property.

Last year, the Maharashtra government announced plans to redevelop the Nevali site as another domestic airport to ease congestion in Mumbai Airport and also cater to the expected air traffic growth under the new civil aviation policy.