16 villages in Maval taluka have complained of unbridled ‘police harassment’ following the incident of police firing.
Residents of 16 villages in Maval taluka have complained of unbridled ‘police harassment’ following the incident of police firing on Tuesday.
Villagers have claimed that the fear of police has compelled the male members of the village to flee their homes at night. They return stealthily in the daytime to have food and again leave their homes.
Three farmers were killed and many were injured when the police had opened fire on protestors on Tuesday. The farmers were protesting against the proposed closed water pipeline project of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) that was to pass through their villagers.
Following Tuesday’s incident, villagers have been complaining of police brutality in form of mass rounding up of villagers since the past two days. “More than 200 villagers were rounded up by the police on Tuesday night from the villages of Yelshe, Bour, Rautwadi, Pavananagar and others,’’ claimed Manoj Dhore, a resident of Vadgaon Maval.
Located in the foothills of the Western Ghats, the far-flung villages in the region, have witnessed a strong police presence since the past few days. Ramdas Tupe, a resident of Sadawali, claimed policemen in plain clothes are active in the villages since Tuesday.
“The situation in the far flung villages is precarious due to the strong armed tactics of the police. Since the past two days, the police have been arresting young men at random and we have no idea why they are being arrested,’’ they claimed.
The fear of police has compelled the male villagers to stay out of their home at night.
When DNA visited the villages on Thursday, armed policemen were seen conducting patrolling in the villages. Also, a police van was parked near the approach road of the villages from Somatane Phata.
Senior police officers on condition of anonymity confided to DNA of mass arrests being made on Tuesday. “We had rounded up known trouble makers on Tuesday to avoid further fomentation of trouble. The patrolling has been increased since the last two days, also for the same reason,’’ the officer said but refuted the allegations that the police was resorting to brutality.
Pune rural superintendent of police Sandeep Karnik could not be contacted despite repeated efforts.
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