The incident also rocked both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature. Replying to a debate on the issue raised through an adjournment motion, Home Minister R R Patil said the probe would cover whether there was an excessive use of force by the police and if Opposition parties had instigated farmers to resort to violence.
He said the report would be submitted in three months. In a bid to defuse the situation after police firing and violence at Maval near Pune on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said he has asked the district collector to halt the work on the pipeline from the Pavna dam.
Pune District Collector Vikas Deshmukh said he had “orally” advised the commissioner of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to suspend work on the Pavna river dam pipeline project.
Official sources in Pune said the situation is peaceful and under control. District Collector Vikas Deshmukh earlier said a magisterial inquiry had been ordered into the firing.
He clarified that the number of dead in the police firing so far was three and not four as reported earlier and one of the seriously injured was being treated at a hospital in Talegaon.
The farmers were protesting against the release of water from the Pavana dam for a drinking water project in the industrial township of Pimpri-Chinchwad, whose civic body is controlled by Ajit Pawar.
