Sand mafia 'led by BJP corporator' attacks Narmada Bachao Andolan activists in Badwani, 'cops refuse to act'

Stone pelting greeted activists associated with the well-known anti-dam civil rights organization, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), on the state highway from Badwani to Nisarpur, near Rajghat, Madhya Pradesh, when they tried stopping three tractors filled with sand, allegedly being smuggled from the river. The incident happened soon after two of the activists, Rohit and Raja, tried calling the Badwani police station to visit the spot.
Finding themselves caught in a difficult situation, one of the three tractors emptied the sand on the road, a second one ran away in the opposite direction, while the third one, chased by NBA activists, was given protection by around 30 to 40 persons of the sand mafia, said NBA eye-witnesses.
Soon, stone-pelting began, damaging the glass of the jeep in which the NBA activists had come. Rohit and Raja suffered minor injuries, but they saved their life by escaping in their jeep in the other direction. The tractor escaped. Local sources say, those involved in the incident were led by a BJP corporator from Badwani. The attackers included 30 people, mostly belonging to village Bhilkheda or Badwani town.
Alleged NBA activists, the police, even as registering an FIR with "mild" clauses, refused to act, even though they had submitted all photographs and videos of the incident to police officers, and also identified many of those involved in stone pelting.

Thereafter, activists visited the local mineral department on advise from the police. "There was a long discussion with mineral superintendent Sachin Verma. He said that all the rights of sand excavation have been given by the state government to the zilla panchayat, so they cannot take any action on any case of illegal sand mining", said an NBA communique.

It added, "This way the administration continued moving activists from one place to another, but refused to take any action. The police has registered case against illegal sand mining and attack on NBA workers under Sections 341, 294, 323, 506, 427 and 34, but has not imposed Section 307 (attempt to kill)."
According to NBA, "During the Narmada Seva Yatra, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced that illegal sand mining along Narmada would be totally prohibited, putting all the responsibility for this on the police administration, mineral department, Narmada Valley Development Authority, and politicians."
"Yet", it said, "The alliance of sand mafia, politicians and administration remains intact. The quantity of quarries and of sand mining has increased considerably. As police, mineral departmrnt and district panchayat are not working together against sand mafias, the Narmada Valley is being pushed to the brink of death."
Contending that sand mafia has the blessings of the rulers of Madhya Pradesh and their nominees, NBA said, "Despite the High Court and National Green Tribunal orders, illegal mining continues on the banks of Narmada, including in the submergence area, causing environmental damage. NBA has reported about this to the revenue and police department, yet things have not changed."

Comments

Sattvik Food Festival: Shouldn't one question notion of purity, cultural exclusion in food choices?

Recently, I visited the Sattvik Food Festival, an annual event in Ahmedabad organized by Anil Gupta, professor emeritus at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A). I have known Prof. Gupta since 1993, when I sought an appointment to meet him a few months after joining The Times of India in Ahmedabad—one reason why I have always been interested in the activities he is involved in.

In lieu of tribute to Pritish Nandy, said to be instrumental in collapse of Reliance-controlled daily

It is widely reported that Pritish Nandy , journalist, author, animal activist, and politician, has passed away. While it is customary to pay tributes to a departing soul—and I, too, have joined those who have posted heartfelt condolences on social media—I cannot forget the way he treated me when he was editor of the Reliance-controlled Business and Political Observer (BPO), for which I had been working informally in Moscow.

Challenging patriarchy? Adopting maternal and marital surnames: Resistance continues

Anandiben Patel The other day, I was talking with a group of family friends. The discussion revolved around someone very close to me who had not changed her official name in documents, including her Aadhaar and passport, after her marriage. However, on social media and within her husband's family, she had adopted her husband's surname as a suffix to her own. I mentioned that there is a growing trend—though not yet widespread—where women prefer to retain their maiden names or add their maiden surnames alongside their husband's surname. Another emerging trend is where men choose to add their mother's name, or even their wife's name, to their own. This revelation surprised my family friends.

To be or not to be Sattvik: Different communities' differing notions of purity and fasting

This is a continuation of my last blog on Sattvik food. When talking about Sattvik, there is a tendency to overlook what it may mean to different sections of people around the world. First, let me redefine Sattvik: it means having a "serene, balanced, and harmonious mind or attitude." Derived from the Sanskrit word sattva, it variously means "pure, essence, nature, vital, energy, clean, conscious, strong, courage, true, honest, and wise." How do people achieve this so-called purity? Among Gujarati Hindus, especially those from the so-called upper castes who are vegetarians, one common way is fasting. On fasting days, such as agiyarash —the 11th day of the lunar cycle in the Vedic calendar—my close relatives fast but consume milk, fruit juices, mangoes, grapes, bananas, almonds, pistachios, and potato-based foods, including fried items. Another significant fasting period is adhik maas. During this time, many of my relatives "fast" by eating only a single me...

Shyam Benegal's Mathan a propaganda film that supported 'system'? No way

A few days ago, I watched Manthan, a Shyam Benegal movie released in 1976. If I remember correctly, the first time I saw this movie was with Safdar Hashmi, one of the rare young theater icons who was brutally murdered in January 1989. Back then, having completed an M.A. in English Literature from Delhi University in 1975, we would often move around together.

Barred premise allowed? 'Modi govt fails to seek release of fishermen languishing in Pak jails'

Are the Indian authorities or their Gujarat counterparts softening their stance toward NGOs that flag human rights concerns? I can't say for sure, as only recently the foreign funding license of one of the most prominent NGOs, Janvikas, headed by the well-known civil society leader Gagan Sethi, was canceled. This NGO has been working on livelihood issues for underprivileged sections of society for several decades.

Would Gujarat Governor, govt 'open up' their premises for NGOs? Activists apprehensive

Soon after I uploaded my blog about the Gujarat Governor possibly softening his stance on NGOs—evidenced by allowing a fisherfolk association to address the media at a venue controlled by the Raj Bhawan about India’s alleged failure to repatriate fishermen from Pakistani prisons—one of the media conference organizers called me. He expressed concern that my blog might harm their efforts to secure permission to hold meetings on state premises.

No to free thought? How Gujarat's private universities are cowing down their students

"Don't protest"—that's the message private universities across Gujarat seem to be conveying to their students. A senior professor told me that students at the university where he teaches are required to sign an undertaking promising not to engage in protests. "They simply sign the undertaking and hand it over to the university authorities," he said.

Beyond the Sattvik plate: Prof Anil Gupta's take on food, ethics, and sustainability

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a rather lengthy comment (I don't want to call it a rejoinder) on my blog post about the Sattvik Food Festival, held near the Sola Temple in Ahmedabad late last year. It came from no less a person than Anil Gupta, Professor Emeritus at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), under whose guidance this annual event was held.

Search This Blog