No option but to open fire on Jaitapur protestors: RR Patil

Home minister RR Patil told the state assembly on Monday that the local police had no option but to open fire near Jaitapur, as the protestors had turned violent. He said that a mob from a village attacked a police station and set it on fire, pelting police personnel with stones.

“We should take into consideration the situation in which the police opened fire. Nearly 700 villagers from Sakri Nate village near Jaitapur attacked the village police station that had only five constables on duty. The mob set the station and the police vehicles on fire, and there is a possibility that the weapons have also gone missing,” Patil said. He said that a deputy superintendent of police and constables were injured.

“The protestors were demanding that the ongoing fencing work be stopped. They tried to burn an effigy of Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh for his statements about the project,” he said.

His statement did not satisfy opposition members. Subhash Desai of the Shiv Sena said that sub divisional officer of the tehsil Ajit Pawar has been handling the issue in a highhanded manner, threatening the villagers with dire consequences.

Speaker Dilip Walse Patil said that the government would make a detailed statement in the latter part of the day and that there was no need to stall proceedings. Dissatisfied with the ruling, the opposition staged a walkout. The speaker adjourned the house for the day.