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dam-l THE HINDU: Narmada activists allege police repression

          Narmada activists allege police repression

                THE HINDU,   Sunday, April 26, 1998


            BHOPAL, April 25.

            The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has alleged that the
            Madhya Pradesh Government had used brute force on April
            23 to crush its agitation against the ongoing
            construction work on the Maheshwar hydel project, part
            of the Narmada Valley project.

            The NBA alleged that the agitators had been beaten up
            mercilessly by the police.

            Mr. S. Dharmadhikari of the NBA told a press conference
            here today: ``What is most reprehensible is that the
            police had even gone to the extent of threatening the
            protestors that ``another Multai would be repeated at
            Maheshwar.'' It appeared that the Government was proud
            of the recent Multai police firing in which several
            agitating farmers were killed, he said.

            The Government was involved in a disinformation
            campaign, stating that it was not due to use of force by
            the police but because there was confusion and the
            agitating mob had started running helter-skelter that
            some of the protestors were injured on April 23. Mr.
            Dharmadhikari termed the Government's version as a
            ``tissue of lies.''

            He also presented before the presspersons two women
            residents of the Maheshwar area, who gave a graphic
            account of the police action.

            They said the Government was trying to threaten and
            demoralise the local population so that their agitation
            could be suppressed.

            To a query, Mr. Dharmadhikari said the NBA wanted the
            work on the Maheshwar project stopped since the review
            of the entire Narmada project was being done by the Task
            Force set up for the purpose.

            The execution, operation and maintenance of the
            Maheshwar hydel project has been awarded, under the
            privatisation scheme, to M/s Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power
            Corporation Limited, a subsidiary of S. Kumar's Limited.



===============================

        Susanne Wong
        Campaigns Assistant
        International Rivers Network
        1847 Berkeley Way
        Berkeley, CA 94703
        Tel: 1.510.848.1155 ext 316
        Fax: 1.510.848.1008
        email: swong@irn.org
        web: www.irn.org