South Gujarat tribal activist "picked up, detained" under PASA, taken to Rajkot, ahead of planned protest

Jayram Gamit

By A Representative
Reports from the tribal belt of South Gujarat have said that a senior tribal farmers' leader, Jayram Gamit, has been "mysteriously picked up” by the cops from Tapi district under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA Act) ahead of a major protest the organization he and another senior activist, Romel Sutariya, lead were going to launch and the land mafia. Talking with Counterview from Chhotaudepur, Sutariya said, the district collector, Ranjeet Kumar, was under “tremendous pressure” from the local ruling party politicians to arrest Gamit following their campaign against efforts to hand over large tracts of tribal land to land tribals, particularly those who were mining the area surrounding the river.
“Soon after his arrest, Gamit was taken to Rajkot”, Sutariya said, adding, “Gamit was arrested despite the fact that during the last Lok Sabha polls he campaigned for the BJP. Despite his alignment with the ruling party, he kept fighting for the rights of the tribal people, which became the major reason for his detention and arrest under PASA. The arrest has taken place following a forest department's complaint to the police.” There is no word so far from the Gujarat authorities about the arrest.
This is not for the first time that protesting activists in Gujarat are being picked as part of the "preventive" measure to stop any protests. Even those who do not plan protests are "picked up" when senior government functionary such as the chief minister visits an area. They are often put under house arrest or are detained (click HERE to read) ahead of apprehensions of protest. However, this is the first time in the recent past that an arrest has taken place under PASA, considered "draconian" by activists, and meant to be used against anti-social elements seeking to create disturbance.
Calling the arrest “largely political”, Sutariya said, “Gamit was a key factor in Tapi and Chhotaudepur districts for BJP leaders during the campaign in the last Lok Sabha elections. After he stopped working with the party recently and began fighting for tribal rights, the party began to pressure him. After repeated efforts to rope him in failed, this is the tactic they have finally adopted to cow him down. It is difficult to understand why was he was taken to Rajkot.”

In a statement, the Adivasi Kisan Sangharsh Morcha (AKSM), which Sutariya heads, called the arrest “anti-constitutional and unprovoked”. The statement said, “Sutariya and Gamit were fighting for the tribal farmers' constitutional rights for the last few years in South and Central Gujarat. The arrest is part of the conspiracy to break the leadership and pressure Gamit to dissociate himself from the struggle. The conspiracy has been going on for quite some time, after he left working for the BJP.”
The arrest, said the statement, follows a notice issued by a Forest Rights Committee to the district collector the district forest officer last week, asking them why legal action should not be initiated against them following diversion of tribal land to non-tribals, which violates the Forest Rights Act. “The arrest of Gamit is in line with putting Sutariya under house arrest during chief minister Anandiben Patel's visit to Chhotaudepur apprehending protest”, it added.
The arrest has taken place ahead of the decision by Sutariya and Gamit to sit on indefinite fast, starting on February 2, in front of the Chotaudepur district headquarters in order to “highlight” the tribals' plight. Believes AKSM, it is in line with Modi government's effort to deprive the tribals of their natural resources. Warning against the arrest, the AKSM said, “We are going to begin a strong protest against the Gujarat government's authoritarian move. Among others, the All-India Forest Workers' Union's Roma Malik and Ashok Da have supported us.”

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Labour unrest in Manesar trigger tensions: Recently enacted labour codes blamed

By A Representative A civil rights coalition has expressed concern over recent developments in the industrial hub of Manesar in Haryana, where a series of labour actions and police responses have drawn attention. A statement, released by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), said it stood in solidarity with workers in IMT Manesar and other parts of the country, while also alleging instances of police excess during ongoing unrest.

Search This Blog