August 23, 2000
To,
Chief Minister of Gujarat:
Keshubhai Patel, Fax: +91-2712-22020
The Government of Gujarat has once again
demonstrated its true undemocratic colors. Yesterday (Aug 22 2000), it
arbitrarily detained a Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activist and 4 other
supporters when they were traveling from Baroda to Domkhedi, Maharashtra. These
activists were traveling to Domkhedi to be part of Saga of Narmada, a
program of the communities affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). Under
a flimsy pretext of preserving “public order”, the Gujarat Government has
deployed hundreds of policemen to prevent activists and supporters from
traveling to the Narmada Satyagraha sites in Maharashtra and Madhya
Pradesh. Furthermore, it has been
suggested that others who wish to travel to the Satyagraha site tomorrow will
also be detained in a similar manner.
According to Mr. Rajindar Sachar, retd. Chief Justice of Delhi High
Court, "I am given to understand that the police here have been given
orders to detain my colleagues and me when we leave Baroda for Domkhedi
tomorrow morning. No law has been shown under which this action is proposed."
This latest repressive measure is of course in line
with the Gujarat Government's history of draconian measures to squelch public
opinion and the unalienable rights of citizens to protest against the SSP. It
may be recalled that the Gujarat Govt
had used the bogey of public order to prevent the World Commission on Dams (in
1998) and the Rally For The Valley (during monsoon 1999) from traveling
to the Narmada Valley. It is also under
the atmosphere of official repression that the office of the NBA in Baroda was attacked by unidentified
individuals during the night of Dec 8, 1999. This repeated attempt to ban
peaceful programs proves that the
Gujarat Govt. is not interested in promoting any free and fair
discussion on SSP, but would rather
hide the reality.
We, the international support groups of the Narmada
Bachao Andolan strongly condemn such draconian measures and demand the
immediate withdrawal of the deployed police forces and the release of all
people detained in this manner. We demand that the Government of Gujarat
respect the fundamental rights of its citizens and desist from arbitrary use of
police forces in an attempt to deny the NBA and its supporters their
unalienable right to freedom. We would also like to point out the
responsibility of the Government of India to take measures to uphold these
rights of its citizens.
The Satyagraha is part of a long series of non-violent
protests by the adivasi (indigenous) and peasant communities and
activists of the Narmada Valley who are to be seriously affected by the Sardar
Sarovar Project. It is also relevant in this context to recall that the
requisite clearances for the SSP have lapsed and hence the construction of the
dam is itself illegal. We urge the Government of Gujarat and the Union of India
to refrain from such highly undemocratic moves and to engage in a meaningful
dialogue with the citizens of the Narmada Valley. Highly significant proposals
for alternatives to the SSP and modifications of the project with fewer impacts
have been available for a long time now. In light of these alternatives and in
the interests of preserving the rights of the people of the Narmada Valley we
demand that further construction on the SSP be halted and that a comprehensive,
transparent and participatory review of the project be initiated.
Vinay
Kumar, Venu Govindu and Aniruddha Vaidya
Contact:
venu@narmada.org
Susanne
Wong, Patrick McCully
Contact:
susanne@irn.org
Copies
to: Prime Minister of India: A B
Vajpayee, Fax: +91-11-3019817,
3016857
President
of India: Dr. K. R. Narayanan, Fax: +91-11-3017290, 3014570
Indian and International Press