[Reader-list] Statement on Jaitapur Police Firing

[asit das]

*Statement Against Police firing on Protestors in Jaitapur, Maharashtra*

We, the undersigned individuals and organizations condemn the Maharashtra
Police firing on
protestors who were demonstrating against the proposed Nuclear Power Park at
Jaitapur, Ratnagiri,
Maharashtra.
The corrupting influence of the nuclear companies over the political parties
has been revealed in the
Indo-US nuclear deal. These are the same political players who had played
dubious roles during
struggle against Enron power plant.
This incident happened at the protest which was organized against the Union
Environment
Minister’s statement saying, come what may the Nuclear Park will be built in
Jaitapur and Prime
Minister’s consistent advocacy for nuclear energy unmindful of the tragic
incident in Japan.
In the police firing on 18th April, 2011, one person died and 8 others were
seriously injured. This
firing should not be seen in isolation. For the past one year, the
government of Maharashtra has
unleashed a reign of terror in the entire Jaitapur area against farmers,
fishing folks and other rural
artisans who have launched a non-violent and protracted democratic struggle
against snatching away
of their land, livelihood and the imminent catastrophe from the proposed
Nuclear Power Park.
We oppose any forcible acquisition of land against the wishes of the local
farmers.
The high-handedness of Maharashtra State Government has been evident for the
last four years. A
local Konkani activist Vaishali Patil and even other prominent Konkan and
Maharashtra residents
like Retd. Admiral L. Ramdas and Retd. Supreme Court Justice P B Sawant were
arbitrarily declared
out of bounds from Ratnagiri District.
This is a flagrant violation of democratic rights. This is clear example of
stamping out the right to
protest which is one of the sacrosanct constitutional rights in the country.
It should be noted that Mr.
Narayan Rane, the State Revenue Minister who also hails from the Konkan
region has been going
around Jaitapur area and threatening everyone who protests against the
proposed Nuclear Power
Park. Mr. Rane has also openly given a call to local Indian National
Congress cadres to forcibly
drive out the activists who are protesting against the Nuclear Power Park.
We are seriously concerned about Shiv Sena’s role in provoking the tragic
incident. Motivated
hooliganism and strong arm tactics of Shiv Sena is a well known phenomena
which often dissipates
the possibility of peaceful democratic protests. This provides the logic to
the administration for
Police repression and vilifying peaceful mass protests. Shiv Sena’s
opportunism in the Anti- Enron
Struggle in the 1990s is well known.
We disapprove of such rank opportunism of these political outfits which
attempts to divert the
studied pace and direction of the ongoing struggle against the Nuclear Power
Park in the Ratnagiri
district.
The people of Jaitapur are carrying out peaceful struggle against the
proposed Nuclear Power Park
for the past 4 years, but Congress Party’s partisan role and Shiv Sena’s
unwarranted entry into the
struggle has vitiated the atmosphere.
In the aftermath of the nuclear accidents in Three Mile Island, Chernobyl
and Fukushima, a stark
rationale for the abandonment of nuclear energy has emerged. In a situation
where admittedly public
health infrastructure is non-existent to deal with the inevitable event of
nuclear emergency,
promotion of nuclear commerce cannot be approved. We disapprove of nuclear
energy in such a
context where countries after countries are abandoning or doing a rethink
about this option.
Therefore, we demand
· Scrapping of the proposed nuclear plant in the Ratnagiri district and
other states in the
country
· Judicial Enquiry into the incident of police firing on 18th April
· Strong action against the district officials and the Police officers who
ordered the police
firing on the protesters
· Immediately withdraw the false cases against the activists, the villagers
and rescind the
externment orders
Several citizens groups and people’s organizations will be demonstrating
against the police
firing and the myopic promotion of nuclear energy on 21st April at 11.30 AM
at Jantar
Mantar.
Endorsed by
Chittaranjan Singh, INSAF/ PUCL
Anil Chaudhary
Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance
Kiran Shaheen, Media Action Group
Susan Abraham, FORRAD
Prakash K. Ray, Bargad.org
P T George, Intercultural Resources
Benny Kuruvilla, Focus on the Global South
Preeti Sampat
Prem Piram, JAGAR
Amit Mahanti, Frame Works Research & Media Collective
Asit, Delhi Platform
Shree Prakash, MISAAL
Sandeep Singh, AISA
Wilfred D’ Costa
Soumya Dutta, Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha
Priya Pillai
Sundaram P.
Prafull Bidwai, CNDP
Kavita Krishnan, Central Committee Member, CPI (ML) Liberation
Mona Das
S. Lahiri, NFFPFW
Rajendra Ravi, IDS
Aruna Roy
Nikhil Dey
Arun Bidani, Delhi Platform
Prakash Louis, JRS South Asia
Sanghamitra Gadekar,ANUMUKTI
Dr Surendra Gadekar, ANUMUKTI
Lata P.M.
National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements (NAPM)
Popular Education and Action Centre (PEACE)
Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF)
Coalition For Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP)
Delhi Forum
Programme for Social Action (PSA)
National Centre For Advocacy Studies, Pune
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