Iconic Irom Sharmila, Manipur human rights activist, backs anti-Narmada dam stir, wants Modi to rehab oustees

Irom Sharmila

By A Representative
Some of India's top personalities, including iconic Manipur social activist Irom Sharmila, well-known right to information (RTI) activist Aruna Roy and filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to allow the Narmada dam's gates to be closed till completion of the rehabilitation of thousands of oustees.
Sharmila's decision to join the cause of the Narmada oustees is considered significant, as she – known as the "Iron Lady"or "Mengoubi" ("the fair one") was on hunger strike from November 2, 2000, to August 9, 2016, to protest against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives immunity to security forces from allegations of human rights violations.
Others who have signed a letter to Modi are Shankar Singh of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan; Admiral (retd) L Ramdas, former Chief of Naval Staff; Lalita Ramdas, human rights activist; Harsh Mander, bureaucrat-turned-social worker; Maj Gen SGVombatkere, VSM (retd), Mysuru; Dr Sunilam, former MLA, Madhya Pradesh; and Suhas Kolhekar, National Alliance of People's Movements.
Asking Modi to engage with the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), which they say has been representing the Narmada dam oustees for the last 31 years, in a dialogue, “aiming to develop a just and complete rehabilitation plan”, the letter notes that, it is “with a heavy heart” that they want to bring to his attention the “plight of the communities affected by the Narmada dam.”
The letter says, “We are sure that you are conversant with a lot of facts about the dam, having relentlessly pushed the dam height as the chief minister of Gujarat, despite the rehabilitation far from complete, and having given clearance to complete the dam, with gates, on the 17th day of your Prime Ministership.”
“However”, it adds, “The fact is that there are thousands of families and a few lakhs of people residing in the villages, who yet to be rehabilitated”, something which either the officials are willfully concealing from him, or he failing “to take cognisance of.”
The letter underlines, “There are no less that 15,900 families who are declared to be outside the submergence zone (even after granting them part of the rehabilitation entitlements) with a stroke of a pen, that too after 30 years since the dam was planned and approved.”
Saying that this is “something which astonishes us to no limit”, the letter says, “Can the lives of our citizens be so valueless that a few bureaucrats can play around with their plight as effortlessly as this?”
“As a Prime Minister who ran an election campaign on anti-corruption plank, we expected you to take exemplary action against officials in Madhya Pradesh involved in the corruption as exposed by Justice SS Jha Commission, unearthing corruption to the tune of not less than Rs 1,500 crore in the fake sale deeds of land meant for the affected communities”, the letter says.
It adds, “Instead, we are witnessing an endorsement of the same, with you and the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh taking no action, and instead, letting to go the dam complete based on false records.”
The letter points out, “Hundreds of people displaced in 1960s because of the dam are sitting on a relay fast in Kevadia Colony since last June 15, demanding full rehabilitation and employment, yet the Gujarat government has taken no initiative for a composite dialogue.”
This is apart from hundreds of women and men affected by the dam is on a Satyagraha at Badwani, Madhya Pradesh since July 30, all of whom are also seeking to be rehabilitated, the letter says.

Comments

Why Venezuela govt granting amnesty to political prisoners isn't a sign of weakness

By Guillermo Barreto On 20 May 2017, during a violent protest planned by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, 21-year-old Orlando Figuera was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a Chavista. After being stabbed, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in front of everyone present. Young Orlando was admitted to a hospital with multiple wounds and burns covering 80 percent of his body and died 15 days later, on 4 June.

Walk for peace: Buddhist monks and America’s search for healing

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The #BuddhistMonks in the United States have completed their #WalkForPeace after covering nearly 3,700 kilometers in an arduous journey. They reached Washington, DC yesterday. The journey began at the Huong Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and concluded in Washington, DC after a 108-day walk. The monks, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, undertook this journey for peace and mindfulness. Their number ranged between 19 and 24. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Sư Tuệ Nhân), a Vietnamese-born monk based in the United States, this “Walk for Peace” reflected deeply on the crisis within American society and the search for inner strength among its people.

Pace bowlers who transcended pace bowling prowess to heights unscaled

By Harsh Thakor* This is my selection and ranking of the most complete and versatile fast bowlers of all time. They are not rated on the basis of statistics or sheer speed, but on all-round pace-bowling skill. I have given preference to technical mastery over raw talent, and versatility over raw pace.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

Bangladesh goes to polls as press freedom concerns surface

By Nava Thakuria* As Bangladesh heads for its 13th Parliamentary election and a referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously on Thursday (12 February 2026), interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged all participating candidates to rise above personal and party interests and prioritize the greater interests of the Muslim-majority nation, regardless of the poll outcomes.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Beyond the conflict: Experts outline roadmap for humane street dog solutions

By A Representative In a direct response to the rising polarization surrounding India’s street dog population, a high-level coalition of parliamentarians, legal experts, and civil society leaders gathered in the capital to propose a unified national framework for humane animal management. The emergency deliberations were sparked by a recent Suo Moto judgment that has significantly deepened the divide between animal welfare advocates and those calling for the removal of community dogs, a tension that has recently escalated into reported violence against both animals and their caretakers in states like Telangana.

'Paradigm shift needed': Analyst warns draft electricity policy ignores ecological costs

By A Representative The Ministry of Power’s Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP), 2026 has drawn sharp criticism from power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma, who has submitted detailed feedback highlighting what he calls “serious omissions” in the government’s approach to energy transition.

Search This Blog