Violence continued unabated at Navi Mumbai, where angry mobs thrashed cops at Nerul police station on Friday night. They stormed Rabale police station Saturday afternoon in connection with the ongoing clashes between natives and porters in this satellite town of Mumbai.
The agitation, which started as a tiff between residents of Ghansoli village and porters (Mathadis) on the alleged molestation of a village girl on Holi, has now spread to adjoining villages, police said.
A protest against Mathadis was reported at Koparkhairane, Turbhe, Juhu and Nerul villages in Navi Mumbai on Friday and Saturday. The stir is now taking shape of a conflict between native villagers and outsiders over deprivation of employment opportunities to the natives, they added.
Friday night, natives of Nerul in Navi Mumbai stormed the local police station and thrashed three constables, leading to a lathi charge by cops late in the night.
On Saturday afternoon, a mob of over 2000 persons damaged private and media vehicles near Koparkhairane police chowky of Rabale police station, leading to one more lathi charge on agitators, police sources further said.
Navi Mumbai police control room authorities told PTI that sporadic incidents of violence were continuing, but there was no major violent incident. The RAF and the state reserve police have been positioned in trouble-hit spots, they added.
