Issue of firing on protesting farmers rocks Mah Assembly

The death of three persons in police firing in Pune district during a farmers' protest against a water pipeline project which had turned violent, on Wednesday rocked Maharashtra Legislature.

In the Legislative Council, Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar, announced that government jobs would be given to the next of the kin of those killed. The government would take a decision on the issue of compensation soon, he said.

"I have asked the district collector to halt the work (on the pipeline from Pavna dam) there," he said. The Deputy Chief Minister also alleged that the Opposition was politicising the issue.

The farmers were protesting against a closed-pipeline project on the Pavna dam to facilitate water supply to the industrial township of Pimpri-Chinchwad, whose civic body is controlled by Ajit Pawar. A high-level meeting would be convened at Mantralaya within eight days to discuss the issue, Pawar said. It would be attended by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Mawal MLA Sanjay Bhegde and Opposition leaders in the Legislature, he said.

Pawar also informed that a probe would be initiated to find out those responsible for facilitating the protest. The Assembly witnessed uproarious scenes over the police firing with the opposition members stalling proceedings and demanding immediate discussion on the issue.