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dam-l PR: 200 Adivasis Arrested in Nandurbar; Fast Continues for 5th Day
NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN
(Mumbai Contact: Pervin –2184779/ Mahendra/Ravi-557 4895; Baroda- Joe:
382232)
Press Note/ April 3, 2000/
MAHARASHTRA GOVT. DETAINS 200 ADIVASIS IN NANDURBAR: MANY ROUGHED UP AND
BEATEN: JOURNALIST HARASSED: FAST CONTINUES.
" ATTEMPT TO COVER UP ISSUE OF LAND AVAILABILITY". ALLEGE PEOPLE
About 200 oustees from Narmada Valley , along with Medha Patkar, Vesta Pawa
and Mansinghbhai who were on the fast for last five days, have been forcibly
taken into custody on the Monday ( April 3) morning by the Maharashtra
police. They were taken to different jails today. It is apprehended that
the Nandurbar district administration would slam serious charges on the
main activists and village leaders. However, Medha and others have not ended
their indefinite fast which entered in fifth day on Monday.
" The state government has no answer to the questions regarding the land
availability and it does not want to face the issue. The government has
arrested the people as it wanted to suppress the issue being raised
regarding the right to life and government duplicity regarding the land",
said Keshav Vasave, Vesta Pawra and Medha Patkar while being taken into
custody. It is learnt that the state governemnt officials have directed the
district administration to give nothing in writing about the land
availability and resettlement to the people.
According to the latest information, about 140 men and 40 women were
detained in Khandbara, in Nandurbar district, while three main activists on
fast were taken to Dhule hospital. According to the Collector, most of the
protestors were detained under section 68-69 of Bombay Police Act, while
Medha Patkar was not arrested and was admitted in Dhule hospital. It is
apprehended that the state governmment would be slamming serious charges on
the main village leaders and activists in order to harass them, releasing
aother detained villagers by tonight.
The police roughed up number of villagers and acctivists and some of them
were severely beaten. Ramesh
from rehabilitation site was singled out and was beaten up and he has
swelling all over
his body Activists like Shobha and Pravin (who were not arrested) were
caught from their
'hideouts' and after all the vehicles were left, police roughed them for no
apparent reason. A video journalist, Mr. Pravin from 'Abhivyakti', Nashik,
was beaten and his video camera was damaged by the police. The journalist
has launched a complaint with the Press Council of India.
Nandurbar Action
Hundreds of the adivasi oustees of the Sardar Sarovar Project from
Maharashtra vilages have been on indifinite dharna for their demands form 27
th March. Three main activists have launched indefinite fast on March 30, to
demand the joint survey of the land claimed to be available for resettlement
by Maharashtra government.They have appealed to the state government to
complete the process of survey of the land claimed available on resettlement
sites of Rozava, Amlibari and Somaval, where there are hundreds of already
displaced oustees who did not get the lands. The committee under the
convenorship of Mr. Ranganathan, Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra,
was surveying the availability of the land in December, 1999 with the
representatives of the 'Punarvasan Sangharsha Samiti' (PSS) and oustes'
representatives. However, before that survey was complete Maharashtra
government claimed that land was available for the oustees. The hundreds of
people on dharna made a simple demand to let that joint survey be completed
in the interests of the prospective oustees.
The people were also demanding the regularisation of the 'forest' land they
have been cultivating for generations, according to the verdict by the
Supreme Court in Pradip Prabhu Vs. Maharashtra government case. They had
also raised the issues of drinking water in the submergence affected
villages and the employment in the villages. These two demands were met by
the Collector after the activists launched indefinite fast on March 30,
Medha patkar had started 'nirjal' ( without water) fast for that. However,
fast continued as the fgovernment did not respond on other main demands.
Today, without giving any positive response on these issues, the state
government
has chosen to cover up the basic problems by arrresting the people.
Sanjay Sangvai
For Narmada Bachao Andolan.