One person died in protest against Jaitapur nuclear power plant
MUMBAI: On Tuesday stray incidents of violence were reported from Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district where the Shiv Sena called a shutdown to protest the police firing in which one person was killed while opposing the 9,900 MW Jaitapur nuclear power project, said police.
According to police some Shiv Sena activists pelted stones, shattered the glass of public transport buses and blocked the Ratnagiri-Kolhapur highway by dumping burning tyres on it. In some places, they also deflated tyres of buses and trucks that were attempting to ply.
The mob attacked the district hospital and damaged its postmortem wing in Ratnagiri besides setting on fire some state transport buses and other vehicles, officials said.
Vaishali Patil Konkan Bachao Samiti chief said the shutdown was “total and spontaneous”.
On Tuesday the entire district including tourist hotspots like Chiplun, Kelshi, Dapoli and the district headquarter Ratnagiri, besides small villages like Nate, Madhban and Jaitapur as well as the picturesque beaches dotting the coastal district wore a deserted look and all shops and establishments remained closed.
Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said, “It is time for chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to pack up and go home.” Tavrez Sejkar was yesterday killed in police firing at Sakhrinate village when around 600-700 locals protesting against the project, attacked the local police station.
Thackeray said that the DF government will have to pay a “heavy price” for police firing.
