Protests against refinery flare up again, Sena (UBT) MP arrested

The protests against soil-testing for a proposed oil refinery at Barsu in Ratnagiri resumed in full force on Friday after a day’s gap. The police used tear gas to disperse protesters and also detained and later released Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Vinayak Raut. A total of 211 protestors—167 women and 34 men—were arrested and will be produced before a Rajapur court tomorrow.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde meanwhile reiterated that his government would not impose the project on Barsu and would take the local people into confidence. He also alleged that some “outsiders” were involved in the protests.

Locals of Barsu and nearby villages tried to enter the soil-testing area on Friday, following which the police used force and tear gas to control the mob and disperse it. Activists from Barsu said that the police lathi-charged women protesters during the conflict, an allegation denied by the government. The visuals of villagers opposing the soil-testing and the police trying to prevent them went viral on social media.

CM Shinde said that over 70 percent of the locals were for the project but added that it would not be implemented without the consent of villagers. “Some people from Barsu and nearby areas are protesting and some of them are outsiders,” he stated. “The government’s stand is very clear: we will not force farmers and there will be no injustice done to anyone. The project will provide employment to the people of the area, and this is why over 70 percent are in favour of it. Even those who are against it are aware of the benefits of the project. The administration will speak with everyone about the project and will try to convince them.” Shinde also urged people not to politicise the issue.

Reports of a lathi-charge at Barsu kicked up a political controversy again. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole warned the government that if it tried to pursue the project by assaulting locals and filing false cases against them, the Congress would give “a befitting reply”. “The Shinde government has deployed a huge number of police forces against the villagers,” he said. “It should not take a decision on the refinery project without taking the locals into confidence but it is acting in a dictatorial manner. We will not tolerate this.”

NCP MP Supriya Sule also criticised the government and urged the government to discuss the project with locals instead of using police force. Thackeray faction MP Vinayak Raut, who was detained when he was joining the protests, informed everyone about this through a tweet. However, Ratnagiri SP Dhananjay Kulkarni told HT that MP Raut was released later.

Shinde denied the reports of a lathi-charge on women protesters and alleged that besides locals, some “outsiders” were involved in the protests. “I spoke to the Ratnagiri collector and superintendent of police as well as district guardian minister Uday Samant,” he said. “The collector told me that there was no lathi-charge at the site.”