Mumbai: Police on Tuesday arrested 111 people, most of them women, during a protest against a proposed oil refinery at Barsu village in Maharashtra’s coastal Ratnagiri district, an official said.
More than 100 women were among the protesters who tried to block a road in Barsu and Solgaon areas of the district, around 400km from Mumbai, by lying on the ground to stop government vehicles from entering the proposed site of the refinery, he said.
The protesters were booked under IPC sections related to unlawful assembly, rioting, disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant, wrongful restraint and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act, the official said, adding they will be produced before a court at Rajapur town in Ratnagiri district on Wednesday.
Local residents fear the mega project will adversely affect the fragile biodiversity of the coastal Konkan region and also hit their livelihood. The Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) came out in their support and demanded an immediate end to “atrocities” against protesters.
A government team was scheduled to conduct a survey at the site in Barsu and Solgaon areas of Rajapur, on Monday, but locals started staging protests, the official said.
During the protest, women lay on the ground to prevent vehicles of the district administration and police from entering the areas, he said.
Considering the law and order situation, hundreds of police personnel were deployed at the project site, the official said.
Ratnagiri Superintendent of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni and other senior police officials were at the spot to avoid any untoward incident, he said.
Opposition leader Ajit Pawar of the NCP earlier in the day demanded that protests by locals against the refinery project be handled sensitively and urged that the state government stop the survey work till a peaceful solution was found.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut demanded an immediate end to “atrocities” against locals and asserted his party will not sit quietly on the issue and back the people.
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged the protesters were being pressurised by Industries Minister Uday Samant with the help of police.
“This is a government with a perverse mentality. They want a Jallianwala Bagh-like massacre. We are with people and the Shiv Sena (UBT) will not sit quiet,” Raut said.
He said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde thinks he is a “messiah” of the poor, but has left on a three-day “leave” in a helicopter, a reference to the CM going to his hometown in Satara district.
Shinde should instead take the helicopter to Barsu and meet the protesters there, said the Rajya Sabha member.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray said, “The government should stop atrocities on people and also the soil survey.”
The former state environment minister said the government should start a dialogue with the agitating local residents.
The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had put some conditions before giving a nod to the project which included taking the locals into confidence and explaining the details of the venture and its benefits, Thackeray said.
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