URGENT ALERT!

IN RESPONSE TO INDEFINITE FAST AT CHIKHALDA BY 11 PEOPLE OF NARMADA VALLEY AND MEDHA PATKAR, ON 12TH DAY POLICE FORCES VIOLENTLY LIFTED MEDHA PATKAR, 4 WOMEN AND A MAN FROM THE PROTEST SITE.

ATTACKED THE VILLAGERS PRESENT THERE, BROKEN PANDAL, MANHANDLED WOMEN

A BLOT ON DEMOCRACY IN INDIA, AFTER MANDSAUR, VIOLENCE IS NORM FOR SHIVRAJ GOVERNMENT NOW

New Delhi | August 07, 2017 : In response to Indefinite fast led by 11 Sardar Sarovar Dam affected people and Medha Patkar in Chikhalda, Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh, India, Govt of Madhya Pradesh send police forces in thousands and attacked the peaceful meeting going on there around 6 PM Today. There was no attempt to talk to the protesters sitting on fast against the illegal and unjust drowning and forceful eviction of more than 40000 families in Narmada Valley residing there without complete and just rehabilitation. For last 12 days govt made no effort to have any dialogue and started raising panic about their deteriorating health, no attempt at any dialogue.

Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Uma Bharti, cabinet minister, Ministry of Water Resources have been saying only one thing, to break the fast, but no attempt at initiating serious dialogue regarding the issue of rehabilitation.

Today since morning, the administration has been mobilising heavy police force and in the evening they just started breaking the Pandal and initiated the baton charge in a desperate bid to arrest the fasting protesters. Is this violent response justified in a democratic country? Shivraj Singh government is anti farmer, anti adivasi and a government known for killing their own people, they have blood on their hands as said by Medha Patkar just before the violence began.

Medha Patkar, 4 other women and one man has been arrested from the protest site. While the arrest is not going to suppress the movement, now the remaining 6 people are continuing their fast even after brutal violence. Nearly, 2000 police force was mobilised who came down heavily on the peaceful ongoing meeting. The majority women crowd was beaten and manhandled by male policemen, a serious but common human rights violation under the Govt. of Madhya Pradesh and Govt. of India, which the people of Narmada Valley have faced earlier too. Several have suffered injury. As we write this we are still trying to admit injured people to the hospital and provide them medical relief.

Narmada Bachao Andolan strongly condemns this action and resolves that the agitation will continue. Medha Patkar will continue to fast and so will others. We are not going to be cowed down by the violent attempt of any Government. We will fight till the justice delivered.

We urge our supporters to Spread the message far and wide and call NOW / send message to CM Madhya Pradesh asking them to wake up and talk to her /others on fast on their demands for complete and just rehabilitation. Also demand that they all must be released immediately and initiate action against the police officers who ordered this. People are watching the Government.

Narmada Bachao Andolan

Napm India

napmindia gmail.com

Medha Patkar arrested again on her way to Badwani

IMPORTANT UPDATE / Medha Patkar arrested again on her way to Badwani

TAKE ACTION : Call or send a message to Dhar Collector : 7694868888 Dhar SP : 9425072424 demanding them to release Medha Patkar and 9 others who have been arrested by them on false charges.

Madhya Pradesh Government has no shame and completely lost any sense of propriety. Early today, Medha Patkar was discharged from Bombay Hospital by the Indore Police, after Habeas Corpus application was filed in the Court there. Earlier CM and administration had claimed she was on hospitalized given her failing health, but then the fact was that she was denied access and was under complete arrest. Only after much pressurizing that one of our colleague was given limited access to her.

Today after discharge from hospital in the afternoon, Medha ji started at 4 PM from Indore after meeting her supporters and resting a bit. All this while she continues to fast and today is the 14^th day of her fast. All 9 other activists fasting continue under arrest at Dhar District Hospital, where limited access has been given to them.

As their vehicle was moving towards Barwani, Medha ji’s vehicle was intercepted by nearly 35 police vehicles and been now taken over by them. The vehicle’s driver was forced out and now TI is driving them all towards Dhar to be produced infront of the SDM. They are now pressing charges for the violence they unleashed on 7^th evening on the protesters where they injured 42 people. Police refused to file any FIR from the Andolan side but in their FIR have named 35 people and another 2500 unknown persons.

This is complete travesty of justice and nothing else but every attempt at intimidating and terrorising the Andolan.

Call or send a message to Dhar Collector : 7694868888 / 07292 - 234702 dmdhar nic.in

Dhar SP : 9425072424 / 07292-235228 spodha mp.gov.in

Condemn and Demand them to release Medha Patkar and 9 others who have been arrested by them on false charges.

Update on the Narmada struggle as of Wednesday, August 9, 2017