Thane: Four policemen were injured when farmers protesting against land acquisition for a proposed airport at Nevali, around 50km from Mumbai, torched vehicles and clashed with the police on Thursday.
The agitated farmers also blocked a busy road in the area by throwing burning tyres on it, a police official told PTI.
The farmers have been protesting a move by the state government that took place a few years back, to acquire land in the area to set up the proposed airport.
However, their protest turned violent on Thursday as the farmers started agitating simultaneously at several places near Nevali.
The angry protesters also clashed with police and pelted security personnel with stones when they tried to control the situation, the police official said.
Three police officers and a constable sustained injuries in the clash, he said.
Policemen also fired plastic bullets at the protesters to disperse them, police said.
The protesters blocked the Kalyan-Haji Malang road in the area by throwing burning tyres and wooden blocks on it.
They also torched a police van, three trucks, two bikes and a tempo in the area, the official said.
Senior police and revenue officials rushed to the spot to control the situation.
The aggrieved farmers had earlier this month approached the Bombay High Court with a bunch of petitions challenging acquisition of over 1,600 acre land by the Ministry of Defence for an airport requisitioned during World War II.
According to the petitions, the land was requisitioned by the government through an order passed by the then Thane collector in February 1943, under the Defence of India Rules.
The petitions have challenged the validity of the requisition order.
(With inputs from PTI)