Pune: Rahul Gandhi on Thursday termed as "wrong"
the police firing on agitating farmers in Mawal in Pune
district as he visited the families of those killed in the
incident and joined a prayer meeting.
Making an unscheduled visit to a cluster of villages in
the area, the AICC General Secretary met the families of the
victims - Shyamrao Tope at Sadawali village, Moreshwar Sathe
at Shivrane village and the family of Kantabai Thakar at Yelse
village.
Condoling the death of farmers in police firing on August
9, Gandhi said, "What had happened was wrong", a release from
the Youth Congress quoted him as saying.
He also joined a prayer meeting being held for the
farmers killed in the firing.
Three farmers were killed and many others injured when
Pune Rural Police allegedly opened fire on a protest against a
closed pipeline project that facilitates supply of water from
Pavna dam to the industrial township of Pimpri Chinchwad in
Mawal taluk on August 9.
Gandhi, after calling on relatives of the deceased,
visited a hospital where the injured in the firing incident
were undergoing treatment, they said.
Pune city Congress president Abhay Chhajed said he was
"unaware" of Rahul's programme.
No Congress leader from the city was accompanying him,
he said.
Gandhi's visit came in the backdrop of the Opposition
Shiv Sena-BJP combine criticising the Congress leader for not
visiting the farmers.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 12:55