As 45 villagers from Sonshi in Goa arrested for protesting against the pollution caused by the trucks carrying iron ore remain in jail, senior state minister Vishwajit Rane today alleged that they were being "misguided".
The protesters who were arrested 13 days ago for stopping the trucks carrying ore are in jail at Colvale as they refused to execute bail bonds.
"Somebody is provoking them. It is not right. It is important that they come out, we all are there to help them," Rane said, speaking to reporters here.
"The protesters should sign bail bonds. They are refusing to sign the bonds. Somebody is misguiding them," he added.
Rane also said he was ready to pay the money needed for furnishing the bonds, but the villagers should cooperate by signing bail papers.
The agitation hit headlines last week when jailed protesters' children marched to Valpoi police station last week to demand release of their parents.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who instructed the mining firms to avoid using the road passing through the village, had also warned that mining permission would be cancelled if the firms didn't curb the pollution caused by transportation of ore.
Rane said the government fully sympathised with demands of Sonshi villagers, but their rigid stand was leading them nowhere.
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