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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Thane: 4 cops injured as farmers’ protest against defence airport turns violent
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Thane: 4 cops injured as farmers’ protest against defence airport turns violent

Farmers are protesting land acquisition for a proposed defence airport at Nevali village in Thane district on the outskirts of Mumbai

Six police vehicles were torched and the Thane-Badlapur highway was blocked during farmers protest against a proposed defence airport near Nevali village in Thane district. Photo: PTIPremium
Six police vehicles were torched and the Thane-Badlapur highway was blocked during farmers protest against a proposed defence airport near Nevali village in Thane district. Photo: PTI

Mumbai: At least 25 people, including 12 policemen and eight protesters, were injured on Thursday when a farmers’ protest against land acquisition for a proposed defence airport turned violent at Nevali village in Thane district on the outskirts of Mumbai.

The protesters torched six police vehicles and blocked Thane-Badlapur highway. The Maharashtra government has deployed two companies of Special Reserve Police and Riot Control Police to control the situation.

The protesters were injured when the police fired pellet guns at them after cops, including an assistant commissioner of police, were attacked with stones, Thane police commissioner Parambir Singh told reporters. He said the situation was under control but added that action would be taken against “mischief mongers".

Later in the day, minister of state for defence, Subhash Bhamre, scheduled a meeting to discuss the issue in Delhi on 29 June.

The Nevali airport issue dates back to pre-Independence era when the British government in 1945 acquired 1,600 acres to build an airstrip for use during the World War II. However, the land was transferred back to farmers who were its original owners after India became independent. Some years back, the defence ministry acquired the land to for a proposed defence airport.

Earlier this month, the Indian Navy started building a compound wall around the land even as farmers claimed the land was forcibly acquired by the government.

Parambir Singh said the farmers had informed the police about a peaceful protest on Thursday but the protest suddenly turned violent. “The villagers turned violent and started attacking cops. We will identify the mischief mongers and file attempt to the murder cases against them," Singh said.

Shiv Sena MP from Kalyan Shrikant Shinde told reporters that the farmers were working the land for the last 75 years and they would “naturally object if the land was suddenly being acquired".

“The farmers are not ready to part with the land," Shinde said.

Meanwhile, Chief Public Relations Office (Defence) Rahul Sinha, issued a statement saying “the land in reference is owned by Ministry of Defence/Indian Navy and the state government land records certify the same. The 7/12 extracts are held with Defence Estate Officer, Mumbai, and the land was acquired by the Ministry of Defence," the statement said.

The statement added that “the Navy is constructing a peripheral boundary wall to protect and safeguard defence land from further encroachment".

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Published: 22 Jun 2017, 03:35 PM IST
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