Farmers bring Expressway to a halt; police firing kills 3

Three farmers, including a 45-year-old woman, were killed in police firing off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway at Rautwadi in Kurunj village, about 55km off Pune on Tuesday.

The police started firing when a rally of more than 2,000 farmers protesting against land acquisition for a water pipeline project from the Pawana dam to the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation turned violent. Vishal Rohidas Raut, 16, a Std X student was among the injured. Supporters of the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the RPI too were among the protesters.

The protesters accused Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister, of playing with the lives of farmers. “Although three of our people have been killed, we are not going to stop our agitation,” one of the protesters said.

A family member of one of the deceased asked Eknath Khadse, opposition leader in assembly, and Neelam Gorhe, Shiv Sena spokesperson, to leave the hospital premises when they came to meet the families of those killed in the firing.

“None of your party leaders were there at the spot when my sister was shot dead. They ran away. We don’t need your sympathies,” he said.

Sandeep Karnik, SP (Pune rural), said the police were forced to open fire after the protesters started pelting them with stones. “Although we had deployed 1,000 policemen, including one company of SRPF in a 33km area, there was just 20 of our men present at the spot where the firing took place,” he said.

The situation spiralled out of control when the protesting farmers blocked the expressway and brought traffic to a standstill. Despite repeated requests, the farmers refused to lift the blockade, Karnik said. The leaders had assured us that they would leave the area after giving some speeches, he said.

“We waited for more than an hour. When they showed no signs of leaving, the police tried to clear the expressway. Immediately they started pelting our men with stones.” The busy expressway was paralysed for almost five hours.

“Some of our officers were trapped in the crowd and they were being heckled. Inspector MV Ingawale of Wadgaon Maval police station was among those attacked.” Karnik said 25 policemen were injured in the stone-pelting and Ingawale’s condition was serious.

At least 12 four-wheelers, 34 motorcycles and five police vans were damaged in the violence. A state transport bus too was set on fire by protesters from the Rautwadi village. Karnik said he too was attacked but his helmet saved him. Ramnath Pokale, addl SP, was injured on the hands and legs.

“Also, we first fired 25 rounds of tear gas and 20 rounds of rubber bullets to disperse them,” Karnik said. “When it did not work, the police fired eight rounds of live bullets to control the mob.”

Later, the police rounded up 300 people in connection with the violence. The villagers of Rautwadi said the water pipeline project would deprive them of their land and affect the supply of drinking water in the region.