Three-day Narmada oustees' Bhopal fast ends, NBA seeks Jha Commission report on corruption in rehabilitation

By A Representative
The three-day protest fast by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), ended in Bhopal on April 29, putting up strong demand to make public the Jha Commission report, which looked into corruption in the rehabilitating and resettling (R&R) of the Narmada dam oustees.
More than 500 NBA representatives and dam affected people observed the fast, called "Chetavani Upvaas" -- or warning fast -- at Neelam Park, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The NBA claimed "nationwide support and solidarity from people and other movements through protests, peaceful demonstrations and fast in their region against the corruption in resettling oustees.”
A statement issued at the end of the three-day fast, the NBA said, "Large scale corruption has taken place in the name of R&R for which the High Court of Madhya Pradesh appointed the Justice Jha Commission. The report was submitted to the High Court, but the government tried everything to stop the report from getting public or going into THE hands of the petitioner, NBA."
It regretted, "Whereas the construction for raising the height of the dam in Gujarat, which would submerge more than 40,000 families in Madhya Pradesh, is going on rapidly, it was mandated that before submergence the government must rehabilitate the project affected people."
"Yet", the NBA said, "The government declared ‘zero balance’, i.e. no one was left for rehabilitation, which was proved wrong by an earlier fact-finding report. Now the Jha Commission report was going to expose the government claim and make the corruption public, but this has not happened."
Among those who participated in the protest fast included representatives of the Communist Party of India; the All-India Trade Union Congress; the All- India Bank Employees Union; the Akhil Bhartiya Siksha Adhikaar Manch; ; the Madhya Praesh Kisan Sabha; the Swaraj Abhiyan; and several grassroots organizations.
The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), which is the apex body of tens of mass organizations across India, and the Delhi Solidarity Group protested in Delhi, and submitted a memorandum to the Commissioner of the Madhya Pradesh Bhavan.
Protests were also held by by the Mumbai Solidarity Group in Maharashtra, where signature campaign was carried out against the "illegal" construction to raise the dam height without complete rehabilitation.
Representatives of Toko-Roko-Thoko Krantikari Morcha, Seedhi, Madhya Pradesh, protested in solidarity with the Chetavani Upvaas and submitted memorandum to the Governor of Madhya Pradesh. Representatives of Lok Shakti Abhiyaan, Odisha, demonstrated in Bhubaneswar.
The NBA, meanwhile, has decided to hold a nationwide protest march in June with the slogan of “Narmada Bachao Desh Bachao” , an awareness campaign about the social injustice happening with the Narmada dam oustees. The march, said the NBA, will also aim to "bring people together against social injustice happening in the different parts of the country."
Meanwhile, the NBA submitted an open letter the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, asking him to make public the Jha Commission report, saying, it would be able to clarify about lots of allegations of corruption as also large number of oustees who have still to be rehabilitated.

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

On Teachers’ Day, remembering Mother Teresa as the teacher of compassion

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ It is Teachers’ Day once again! Significantly, the day also marks the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta (still lovingly called Mother Teresa). In 2012, the United Nations, as a fitting tribute to her, declared this day the International Day of Charity. A day pregnant with meaning—one that we must celebrate as meaningfully as possible.

Gujarat minority rights group seeks suspension of Botad police officials for brutal assault on minor

By A Representative A human rights group, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat, has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), Gandhinagar, demanding the immediate suspension and criminal action against police personnel of Botad police station for allegedly brutally assaulting a minor boy from the Muslim community.

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

Is U.S. fast losing its financial and technological edge under Trump’s second tenure?

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra* The United States, along with its Western European allies, once promoted globalization as a democratic force that would deliver shared prosperity and balanced growth. That promise has unraveled. Globalization, instead of building an even world, has produced one defined by inequality, asymmetry of power, and new vulnerabilities. For decades, Washington successfully turned this system to its advantage. Today, however, under Trump’s second administration, America is attempting to exploit the weaknesses of others without acknowledging how exposed it has become itself.

Bhojpuri cinema’s crisis: When popularity becomes an excuse for vulgarity

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Bhojpuri cinema is expanding rapidly. Songs from new films are eagerly awaited, and the industry is hailed for its booming business. Yet, big money and mass popularity do not automatically translate into quality cinema or meaningful content. The market has compelled us to celebrate numbers, even when what is being produced is deeply troubling.

Search This Blog