Pune firing: Maharashtra opposition seek Congress-NCP govt dismissal

Opposition leaders in Maharashtra Friday met Governor K Sankaranarayanan and demanded dismissal of the Congress-NCP government in the state over police firing in Maval near Pune in which three farmers were killed.

Leader of Opposition in Assembly Eknath Khadse, Opposition leader in Council Pandurang Phundkar and group leaders of opposition parties in Legislature were among those who met the governor at the Raj Bhawan this morning.

"This is not the first instance of firing during this government's tenure," Khadse said. "This is the second such instance in last 15 days," he said.

The state government lost the moral authority to govern as seen by its "cruel" suppression of the farmers' agitation, he said.

The firing incident rocked the Legislature for the third consecutive day on Thursday with Opposition creating a ruckus and calling the police action a "cold-blooded encounter."

Terming the firing as "murder", Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray has also demanded resignation of Deputy Chief minister Ajit Pawar and Home Minister RR Patil.

Three persons were killed and several injured in police firing in Maval near Pune on Tuesday following the protests over a closed pipeline project to supply water to the industrial township of Pimpri-Chinchwad town.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also met the Governor on Friday separately, in the backdrop of the police firing in Pune.

Asked if the issue of firing was discussed during the meeting, an official in the Chief Minister's Office said there was no indication of it.