Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today ordered a high-level probe into alleged scuffle between a farmer and police personnel in Mantralaya yesterday.
Making a statement in the Legislative Assembly, Fadnavis termed as "false" the reports that the farmer Rameshwar Bhusare was thrashed last afternoon by Mantralaya security staff on the sixth floor.
"The farmer was injured because he bit the police official on security duty. He was not beaten up. I have ordered a high-level probe into the incident involving the farmer. The report should be submitted to me at the earliest," Fadnavis said.
The CM said the farmer, who hails from Ghatshendra village in Kannad taluka of Aurangabad district, came to the state secretariat last afternoon.
"The farmer had made an application seeking compensation for the losses he suffered due to hailstorm on April 11 and 12 2015. He had set up a (agro) shade net with his personal savings. However, according to Agriculture department, the compensation would be given only for crop losses," he said.
Fadnavis said the farmer was told to construct a shade net utilising funds from a government scheme and was subsequently given a work order in December last year.
"He refused to repay 25 per cent of the loan amount asked by the bank," the CM added.
Bhusare had came to meet Fadanvis on the sixth floor of Mantralaya. However, the police personnel there asked him to move from the floor, but he insisted to meet the CM.
A senior police official had said that during the scuffle ensued the farmer bit the hand of a policeman, resulting in injury to his mouth.
He said the farmer was not beaten up the police personnel.
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In a related development, the Opposition leaders visited the Marine Drive police station here to lodge their protest against what they called as the attempt to hush up the incident.
The Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil described the incident as serious.
Besides Vikhe Patil, his counterpart in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde, NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil, and Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi visited the police station.
"When the Opposition leaders asked the police officials about the whereabouts of the farmer, they were told that he was taken to court.
"But when called on his phone, the farmer said that he was being kept in a room at the police station," Vikhe Patil told reporters.
Interestingly, some Opposition members traced the farmer and confronted the police official with him, leading to an argument.
"The farmer told the Opposition leaders that he did not try to kill himself, but when he was being taken to the police station from Mantralaya, an attempt was made to strangulate him," Vikhe Patil said, adding that they made the police officials record his statement about the strangulation attempt.
