Following Chhattisgarh victory, BJP 'allows' mining in Hasdeo Aranya, protesters held

Counterview Desk
Seeking to stop the move to revive “rapacious” mining in Hasdeo Aranya, Chhattisgarh, civil rights network*, Forum Against Corporatization And Militarization (FACAM), has demanded the release of those who have been protesting against the mining project.
According the FACAM, the mining , which was stopped by the previous Congress government, has begun right after the BJP won the state elections in Chhattisgarh, even before the High Court verdict, where the case is pending. “Adani began its operations cutting trees en masse”, it claimed.

Text:

On 21st of December members of Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (HBSS), Ramlal Kariyam (Hariharpur), Jainandan Porte (Saroanch, Ghatbarra) and Thakur Ram along with others was arrested. It was done in the wake of Parsa East Kete Basen (PEKB) project i.e. second phase of Parsa and Kete extension, which is owned out by Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) and operated by Adani Group.
This project was halted last year after the protests from the locals. The Chhattisgarh assembly unanimously passed a resolution on 26 July 2022, that the mining activities will not be carried out in Hasdeo area. Also, these projects are not sanctioned by the Gram Sabha, which we can trace as a pattern that is being followed by the government in other projects as well of Bastar region. The Supreme Court was also petitioned, and it sent the case back to the High Court, along with a 3 week stay order. The order expired soon, and the first High Court hearing dates started in November 2023.
It is important to mention that right after BJP won the state elections in Chhattisgarh, even before any High Court verdict, Adani began its operations cutting trees en masse. The electoral victory has emboldened and intensified Brahmanical Hindutva fascism in its servitude towards big corporates for which it will supercede any purported democratic institution like the judiciary. This intensity can be easily traced from the fact that, nearly 5,000 CRPF have been posted in the area to ensure that cutting happens at the most rapid rate, with high tech equipment being brought in to increase the output for the company as much as possible while the police and CRPF serves the goons who thwart the resisting people.

We can notice a chain of events in a small period of time, in which the leaders of different mass movements going on in this region are being arrested and the protests have to face brutal crackdowns. The arresting of the leaders of Orcha Jan Andolan and the arresting of 8 leaders of Damkondawahi Bachao Sangarsh Samiti are a couple to mention. As we have always focused, these arrests are another crackdown coming out of the quiver of Operation Samadhan-Prahar leaving the masses leaderless and no one to speak against the loot of natural resources by the state.
FACAM strongly condemns these arrests and demands immediate release of Ramlal Kariyam (Hariharpur), Jainandan Porte (Saroanch, Ghatbarra) and Thakur Ram along with others of Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (HBSS). We also appeal to civil society members, democratic rights activists and organizations, students, professors, progressive democratic mass organizations, peasant, and working-class organisations as well as all democratic and peace-loving people to oppose these malicious attacks on the masses. FACAM also urges all such people to carry out demonstrations at various places of country and rally along with the people struggling against such loot and displacement.
---
*All India Students Association (AISA), All India Revolution Students Organization (AIRSO), All India Revolutionary Women’s Organization (AIRWO), Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students Organization (BASO), Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (bsCEM), Collective, Common Teachers Forum (CTF), Democratic Students Union (DSU), Mazdoor Adhikar Sanghathan (MAS), Nazariya Magazine, Progressive Lawyers Association (PLA), Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI), Vishwavidyalaya Chhatra Federation (VCF)

Comments

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

'Anti-poor stand': Even British wouldn't reduce Railways' sleeper and general coaches

By Anandi Pandey, Sandeep Pandey* Probably even the British, who introduced railways in India, would not have done what the Bhartiya Janata Party government is doing. The number of Sleeper and General class coaches in various trains are surreptitiously and ominously disappearing accompanied by a simultaneous increase in Air Conditioned coaches. In the characteristic style of BJP government there was no discussion or debate on this move by the Indian Railways either in the Parliament or outside of it.

Why convert growing badminton popularity into an 'inclusive sports opportunity'

By Sudhansu R Das Over the years badminton has become the second most popular game in the world after soccer. Today, nearly 220 million people across the world play badminton. The game has become very popular in urban India after India won medals in various international badminton tournaments. One will come across a badminton court in every one kilometer radius of Hyderabad.

Faith leaders agree: All religious places should display ‘anti-child marriage’ messages

By Jitendra Parmar* As many as 17 faith leaders, together for an interfaith dialogue on child marriage in New Delhi, unanimously have agreed that no faith allows or endorses child marriage. The faith leaders advocated that all religious places should display information on child marriage.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Ayurveda, Sidda, and knowledge: Three-day workshop begins in Pala town

By Rosamma Thomas* Pala town in Kottayam district of Kerala is about 25 km from the district headquarters. St Thomas College in Pala is currently hosting a three-day workshop on knowledge systems, and gathered together are philosophers, sociologists, medical practitioners in homeopathy and Ayurveda, one of them from Nepal, and a few guests from Europe. The discussions on the first day focused on knowledge systems, power structures, and epistemic diversity. French researcher Jacquiline Descarpentries, who represents a unique cooperative of researchers, some of whom have no formal institutional affiliation, laid the ground, addressing the audience over the Internet.

Article 21 'overturned' by new criminal laws: Lawyers, activists remember Stan Swamy

By Gova Rathod* The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Gujarat, organised an event in Ahmedabad entitled “Remembering Fr. Stan Swamy in Today’s Challenging Reality” in the memory of Fr. Stan Swamy on his third death anniversary. The event included a discussion of the new criminal laws enforced since July 1, 2024.

Hindutva economics? 12% decline in manufacturing enterprises, 22.5% fall in employment

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* The messiah of Hindutva politics, Narendra Modi, assumed office as the Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014. He pledged to transform the Indian economy and deliver a developed nation with prosperous citizens. However, despite Modi's continued tenure as the Prime Minister, his ambitious electoral promises seem increasingly elusive.

Union budget 'outrageously scraps' scheme meant for rehabilitating manual scavengers

By Bezwada Wilson* The Union Budget for the year 2024-2025, placed by the Finance Minister in Parliament has completely deceived the Safai Karmachari community. There is no mention of persons engaged in manual scavenging in the entire Budget. Even the scheme meant for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers (SRMS) has been outrageously scrapped.

Search This Blog