Navi Mumbai: Panvel City Police have registered an FIR against protest leader Rashmita Ram Popeta, her family members and around 200 to 300 protesters after a demonstration demanding that the Navi Mumbai International Airport be named after late people's leader D.B. Patil turned unruly on Wednesday. The protesters allegedly held an unauthorised march despite police denying permission, resulting in a scuffle with police personnel and disruption of traffic in the city.
Thousands gather at Panvel chowk, police urge protesters to disperse
According to the police, thousands of project-affected residents, local villagers, women, youth and members of various social organisations assembled at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk in Panvel around 11 am before attempting to march towards the Maharashtra Legislature to press for their demand. Police informed the gathering that the march had not been granted permission and appealed to the protesters to disperse peacefully. However, the protesters staged a sit-in at the busy junction, causing heavy traffic congestion and affecting normal movement of vehicles.
"When the protesters refused to disperse despite repeated appeals and continued to block the road, police initiated legal action. During the process, some protesters obstructed police personnel from discharging their duties, following which an offence was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Maharashtra Police Act," a Panvel City Police officer said.
Scuffle breaks out during police action, protesters later released
As the police attempted to enforce the prohibitory orders, a scuffle broke out between the protesters and police personnel. All the protesters were subsequently detained before being released later.
An FIR has been registered against Rashmita Ram Popeta, her brother Aditya Popeta, sister Avantika Popeta, Kantilal Kadu and several other unidentified protesters for allegedly obstructing public servants in the discharge of their duties and violating prohibitory orders.
The protest was organised by the Loknete Diba Premi Namkaran Samiti. Popeta had been observing an indefinite hunger strike at Chinchpada for the past five days demanding that the Navi Mumbai International Airport be named after D.B. Patil. Although she was admitted to the sub-district hospital after her health deteriorated, she continued her fast while undergoing treatment.
The demonstration was organised to draw the Maharashtra government's attention to the long-standing demand to name the airport after D.B. Patil, a leader widely revered by project-affected residents and local communities in the Navi Mumbai region.
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