Protesting farmers target India's largest cell company and its billionaire owner

More than 2,000 cell towers in northern India have been damaged as protests over control of the country's agro-industry have shifted between farmers and India's richest businessmen.

Businessman Mukesh Ambani is the chairman of Reliance Industries Limited. The company and local officials say the plaintiffs have shown support for a protest that has blocked New Delhi's roads for more than a month and is responsible for damaging cell towers.

Reliance controls India's largest cellular company and its largest retailer, including some of the country's largest grocery-store chains. Those chains are expected to benefit from a new law that governs the agro-industry to allow more private sector control of distribution. Ambani, who, according to Forbes magazine, is worth about 75 75 billion, is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is backing the new law. He is one of the most influential corporate leaders in New Delhi.

The Punjab state on Tuesday said it has deployed more than 1,000 people across the state to protect Reliance assets. The company had this week filed court petitions in the states of Punjab and Haryana, where it has more than 20 million cellular customers for greater security of its retail stores and towers for its geo-telephone network.

Reliance has demanded "immediate intervention of government officials to put a complete stop to the illegal activities of mischievous elements," it said on Monday, without elaborating on what action is expected from the authorities. "These acts of violence have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees and damaged and disrupted the basic infrastructure of communication."