Farmers protest turns violent in Thane

Thane (Maharashtra), June 22: Hundreds of farmers agitating against land acquisition on Thursday blocked a road and pelted stones and torched a police van near Kalyan in Thane in Maharashtra, police said.

The farmers had been protesting against a proposal to take over an abandoned airstrip for constructing an airport at Nevali, around 40 km north-east of Mumbai.

The authorities had started the land acquisition process.

The protests turned violent as the farmers blocked road traffic, pelted stones, burnt tyres on the road and set ablaze a police van. A few policemen reportedly sustained injuries.