Maha: Court grants bail to 111 people held during protest against refinery

Mumbai: A court in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri has granted bail to 111 people, most of them women, who were arrested for holding an agitation against a proposed oil refinery at Barsu village in the coastal district.

More than 100 women were among the protesters who tried to block a road in Barsu and Solgaon areas of Ratnagiri, around 400km from Mumbai, on Tuesday by lying on the ground to stop government vehicles from entering the proposed site of the refinery.

“The Ratnagiri police arrested the 111 protesters. After their arrest, they were produced in a court later that evening, which then granted bail to them,” an official said.

Since a large number of police personnel were deployed in the area on Wednesday, peace prevailed in the area and no agitation was held during the day, he said.

The protesters were booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to unlawful assembly, rioting, disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant, wrongful restraint and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act, he added.

Local residents fear that the mega project will adversely affect the fragile biodiversity of the coastal Konkan region and also hit their livelihood. The opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) came out in their support and demanded an immediate end to “atrocities” against protesters.