Panel to probe clash, Nitesh Rane in police custody until March 10
MUMBAI: An agitation by the sand transporters’ lobby at Sindhudurg has now transformed into a political controversy, after Saturday’s violent clashes between the police and protesters. Taking serious cognisance of the development, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has appointed a one-man commission to probe the clash.
The violence ended with the arrest of Congress’ local MLA Nitesh Rane, after him and his supporters allegedly vandalised the district collectorate. The police had to resort to a lathi charge to control the violence. Political leaders claimed this hurt many of the peaceful protestors. Some protesters, including Shiv Sena MLA Vaibhav Naik, along with other BJP workers were injured police custody until March 10.
Attacking Rane and calling his agitation a ‘stunt’, the Sena and the BJP joined forces and held a press conference on Sunday, asking for the transfer of the local collector and the SP over the incident.
According to political leaders from both parties, the local transporters’ lobby has been locking horns with the local collectorate over regulation of sand, laterite rock transportation over the past seven months. “The collector has been unfairly harsh on the trans losses for them. Most of these transporters run very small busi nesses, which has been hit hard because of the collector’s actions The agitation was a result of these actions,” said state BJP spokesper son Madhav Bhandari.
The lobby, as a form of protest on Friday parked their trucks and dumpers outside the collec tor’s office, asking for a meeting with him. Bhandari said before Rane’s involvement, the agitation was a peaceful one. “However, he indulged in a political stunt, want ing to politicise and hijack the agi tation,” said the BJP leader.
Bhandari along with Sena lead ers like local MP Vinayak Raut and guardian minister Deepak Kesarkar met Fadnavis on Sunday “The CM has now appointed a panel under the Konkan divi sional commissioner and given him a four day period to submit a