Thirty one Shiv Sena workers, including a party MLA, were arrested today for protesting against the proposed Nanar mega-refinery in coastal Konkan region, police said.
Sena MLA Rajan Salvi had staged a protest at Rajapur on April 12, opposing the refinery project, Rajapur police inspector Suvarna Patki told PTI over phone.
The protesters had violated section 37 and 31 of Maharashtra Police Act, which resulted in an offence and notices were served to the protesters under section 135 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC ), she said.
Salvi and his supporters came to the police station today and were arrested, she said. They were produced before a local court and released on bail, she added.
Protests against the refinery are gaining momentum.
Activists of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Monday vandalised the Mumbai office of a company associated with the project.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray has said the project would not be allowed to come up in the ecologically-sensitive Ratnagiri district.
While Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has backed the project saying it would generate employment opportunities for local youths, Sena, BJP"s alliance partner, has strongly opposed the refinery.
Maharashtra Congress unit president Ashok Chavan said the government should accept the fact that local residents were against the project.
The Rs 3-trillion project envisages setting up of a mega refinery complex at Nanar in Ratnagiri district. Farmers and fishermen opposing the project had met leaders across the political spectrum to seek support for the agitation against the refinery.
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