 "Farmers protest against land acquisition of Ratnagiri-Nagpur highway")
Farmers affiliated to the All India Kisan Sabha from Satara and Sangli districts in Maharashtra on Saturday protested against the state government's acquisition of land for the Ratnagiri-Nagpur Highway.
The highway, also referred to as MSH-3, originates from Ratnagiri and passes through Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur, Tuljapur, Ausa, Nanded, Hingoli, Yeotmal and Wardha before terminating in Nagpur.
Over 2,000 farmers who began their protest march Thursday arrived in Solapur Saturday.
AIKS functionaries said that protesting farmers had sent a memorandum to Solapur guardian minister Subhash Deshmukh seeking time to meet him here but he did not respond.
They said that the farmers would stay put in Solapur till Deshmukh, the state's Cooperation, Marketing and Textile minister, gives them an assurance on their demands.
"The state government is forcibly acquiring the land of farmers in Sangli and Satara. It has even begun work on the highway project," Ashok Dhavale, president of the AIKS said.
While protesting farmers said the police resorted to lathicharge despite their stir being a peaceful one, Solapur police denied the allegations.