Four farmers were killed in the firing and more than 80 others were injured. The police and the state government justified the firing.
Munde, who is also deputy leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha (lower house) Gopinath Munde said, “We will raise the issue of the farmers’ killing in police firing in the ongoing session of the Lok Sabha.”
Speaking to the media on a visit to the site of the police firing, Munde said that there have been four incidents of police firing on farmers in the state during the past four months. The Congress led Democratic Front government in the state is attempting to solve the farmer’s problems through police firing instead of peaceful negotiations, Munde said.
Munde alleged that even though the legal acquisition of farmer’s lands was not complete, the Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had ordered the police to use force against the farmers and take possession of their lands illegally. Even though the agitation was peaceful the District Superintendent of Police Sandeep Karnik ordered police firing. A case should be registered of human rights violations against the police official who arrested farmer Moreshwar Sathe and then shot him dead. Law and order situation no longer prevails in the state. The state home minister claims that the first firing of bullets from a gun came from a private vehicle. It’s a complete failure of the state government that bullets are fired from a private vehicle, Munde said.
Munde reiterated his allegations that Ajit Pawar had misused the police and was instrumental in ordering the police firing on the peaceful agitating farmers in Maval. “If Ajit Pawar is trying to create political terror by the method of police firing on the farmers in Maharashtra, then the people of the state would not remain a mute spectator and would not forgive the deputy chief minister for his acts.”
“In democracy, everyone has the constitutional rights to demonstrate. But if the deputy chief minister believes that the demonstration can be crushed by the use of bullets and with the support of the police, are shameful acts which would tarnish the image of democracy and the pride of Maharashtra. The people of Maharashtra would forgive deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and state home minister Ajit Pawar, only if both the minister accept the moral responsibility of the police firing in Maval and resign immediately from their posts, else the people of the state would teach them a lesson in the next Assembly polls by not electing them,” Munde said.
