Mumbai : Hundreds of angry farmers protesting against a proposed international airport on the outskirts of Mumbai held up traffic, clashed with police and burned down an official vehicle early on Thursday.
Local resentment had been building against plans to turn an abandoned World War II airbase into an international airport at Nevali, about 45 km northeast of Mumbai. But Thursday’s protests took an unexpected violent turn with farmers whose land had been acquired for the project attacking police.
TV images showed stick-wielding protesters blocking a busy local road with burning tyres and setting a police van on fire. They clashed with police when they tried to disperse the crowd.
“Some of our policemen suffered injuries while trying to control the situation,” said an officer who did not wish to be named. An assistant police commissioner was among the injured.
Farmland acquisition for industrial and infrastructure projects has long been a lightning rod for protests in India with farmers often accusing authorities of forcibly taking away land or acquiring it cheaply.
This year, anger among farmers has also grown across several states, including Maharashtra, over dwindling crop income because of a supply glut and a cash crunch triggered by the government’s demonetisation move last November. Several states have announced financial bailouts to assuage farm distress.
The British-era airstrip at Nevali is now defunct. The government wants to develop it as the state’s third international airport and had begun the process of acquiring land for it. Many locals whose land was taken now want it back.
Bureau Report
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