[Reader-list] Protest against police brutalities by Mamata Government on poor slum dwellers in Kolkata

[asit das]

*Protest against police brutalities by Mamata Government on poor slum
dwellers in Kolkata *

* *

*Dear Friends and Comrades,*

* *

*The much hyped slogan of MAA, MAATI and MANUSH Government of Mamata
Banerjee is showing its true colours by unleashing brutal police
brutalities on poor slum dwellers of Kolkata and arbitrary arrest of
democratic rights activists.*

* *

*Mamata herself makes a mockery of her own slogan of MAA, Mati, Manush by
ruthlessly Lathi Charging Maa and cruelly evicting Manush from Mati. The
tiger has expressed its true stripes, *

* *

*On 4th April there was a brutal lathi charge on slum dwellers of Nonadanga
a Shanty settlement in the suburbs of Kolkata. On 8th April the police
arbitrarily arrested activists of Sanhati, Matangini Mahila Samiti and
other organizations, slapping false criminal charges against them. This was
done to handover the land of poor slum dwellers to the builders mafia, who
liberally finance The Trinamul Congress and supply Mamata Banerjee the
required money and muscle power to strangle any voice of protest against
her anti-people policies.*

* *

*We appeal to all democratic organizations and individuals to protest
against the police brutality and arbitrary arrest of activists.*

* *

*Below is an account what happened in Kolkata and statements of Sanhati and
APDR on the police brutalities from Sanhati Website.*

* *

*April 8, 2012*

*A day long sit-in demonstration to protest against Nonadanga slum
demolition and forcible eviction was slated for April 8th at Ruby junction.
The peaceful demonstration was broken by police, who describe the gathering
as illegal despite having granted prior permission. Around 70 people were
arrested and taken to Lalbazar police station, including women and
children. Please continue to watch this page for more information on this
developing story.*

Additional articles of interest, providing background information, can be
found on Sanhati at the following links : Report from Nagarik
Mancha<http://sanhati.com/excerpted/2321/>,
report from Sangbad Manthan <http://sanhati.com/excerpted/2275/>, leaflet
from Brihottoro Kolkata Khalpar Basti Uchhed Pratirodh
Committee<http://sanhati.com/literature/2141/%3Cbr%3E%3C/a%3E>(Greater
Kolkata Slum Eviction Resistance Committee), and a report from from
Zee News<http://sanhati.com/tweet/4756/>
 on the evictions that prompted the current round of protests.

* *

*Sanhati statement on Nondanga arrests and evictions*

9.4.2012

Sanhati strongly condemns the detentions of seven activists, including
three of its members, and the earlier detention of approximately 70
residents of the Nonadanga slum, who were conducting a peaceful
demonstration at Ruby junction in protest against the eviction of hundreds
of families in the Nonadanga colony in Kolkata. The arrests follow the
brutal attack by the police on a rally by the evicted families at the same
location on April 4th, during which several women and children were
severely injured. Moreover, the arrests occured when police suddenly
declared the demonstration to be illegal despite the fact that the
organizers had obtained prior permission from the local police station.
This turn of events amounts to a gross violation of the constitutionally
guaranteed rights of the people to democratic dissent and protest.

Residents of Nonadanga were protesting against evictions from their homes
on March 30th. The land in Nonadanga, which is very close to a major
intersection on the E M Bypass, is a prime target of real estate developers
and the current state government aims to evict the “encroachers” and make
it available for “beautification”. Incidentally, Nonadanga is where slum
dwellers, who were evicted from various canal banks of Kolkata, have been
resettled over the past five years and hence the use of the term
“encroachers” amounts to slander. In addition to putting on display the TMC
government’s connivance with real estate developers, yesterday’s arrests
and the clampdown on protests is part of the disturbing trend of the
current government’s intolerance of dissent and the general deterioration
of the democratic rights situation in West Bengal.

We urge all democratic minded people to demand the immediate and
unconditional release of all the detainees with annulment of all charges,
adequate and proper compensation and rehabilitation for the evicted
families, and suitable punishment of all the police personnel responsible
for the brutal lathicharge on April 4th.

*Sanhati*

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*APDR Condemns Police Action on Anti-eviction Demonstrators*

*A delegation of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights went
to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar on 8 April 2012 and
submitted the following memorandum. A note follows the memorandum.*

Dear Sir,

We came to meet you to lodge our strong protest and express our indignation
over the police onslaught on a peaceful demonstration of evictees and other
people who were protesting against eviction from their *bustee* dwellings.
It need be mentioned that the present government came to power with
explicit declaration that there will be no eviction and no attack on
democratic movements. Series of such incidents go against such pre-poll
promises.

- We learnt that the large no. of arrested persons (about 69) are women
including a child – which is a stark reminder of Paoli case in Singur.
- We also learnt that there was no prohibitory order in force at the place
(Ruby junction) and police onslaught is completely unprovoked.
- We demand immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested and
also demand that the govt stop such attack on peaceful movements which is a
democratic constitutional right.

Yours faithfully,
Amitadyuti Kumar (Vice-President)

After much dilly-dallying the AC (security) received the memorandum at 2.20
PM. The AC said that 68 people were in the central lock-up. He also denied
that a child was also in the lock-up. But, we learnt that the child who was
at the central lock-up was Manika Kumari (9 years), daughter of Dilip Shah.
The AC said that four persons had other cases and the rest would be charged
under section 151 CrPC.

However, when the police let out the arrested persons on PR bond, one by
one in presence of APDR members and other activists through the rear gate
of Lalbazar around 8.30 PM, it was found that seven of them had not been
released. When the released activists and others assembled at the spot
became agitated at this unexpected development, they were forced to leave
the area by a huge contingent of aggressive police force. APDR members went
to the central gate of Lalbazar to speak to the officer in charge and lodge
a protest. They were told by the officers on duty that the seven had been
charged under various sections including sec. 353, 332, 141, 143, 148 and
149 IPC and would be produced at the ACJM court, Alipore, the next day. The
seven were: Partho, Shamik, Abhijnan, Debalina, Manas, Siddhartha and
Debjani.

The APDR strongly condemns the anti-democratic high-handed police action
and demands unconditional release of all activists.

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*Many demonstrators, including Sanhati activists, arrested during protest
meeting*

KOLKATA (8.4.2012) - A day long sit-in demonstration to protest against
Nonadanga slum demolition and forcible eviction was slated for today at
Ruby junction. The evicted people have been staying in an open field under
the scorching sun and the blinding rain for the last one week, facing
police repression, but have refused to move away (see below for earlier
reporting).

Star Ananda Video : Evicted slum dwellers of Nonadanga again in
agitaion<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7hMmzTIV9Y&feature=plcp&context=C4d35640VDvjVQa1PpcFPaZ_fMiRlUrOx-Q6iE5Tdf8MLWUSfafsE%3D>

The peaceful demonstration was broken by police, who describe the gathering
as illegal despite having granted prior permission. Around 80 people were
arrested and taken to Lalbazar police station, including women and
children. Sanhati members Samik, Parag, Abhijnan and Partho were arrested,
in addition to many other activists and residents of the slum. Peoples’
spirits are high and the movement will go on.



*7 April 2012*

*Letter to CM from residents of Nonadanga*
*Translated by Riten Mitra*

Dear Sir,

We are a total of about 150 households and Nonadanga grounds has been our
home for quite some time. Some of us have been here for the last two years,
some six. There is another colony consisting of about 100 families, with an
estimated mean population of about seven to eight hundred. We had all come
to stay here from different parts of West Bengal. For the last 34 years, we
have been victims of severe deprivation, working as cheap labor and trying
hard to make ends meet in times of scarcity. Now we are to be ousted again.
Where shall we go from here?

It is your government that replaced the old one for one, Tapasi Mallik.
Then how could you drive away seven to eight hundred families at one go ?
If we were just one or two households, like in the past, the shock would
have been less. Are we to understand that the land which was deemed useless
by the government, for the last 50 to 60 years, is now suddenly required ?

We are a group of helpless poor who have reached the limits of desperation.
We appeal to you for the last time with the hope that you can come here and
see our daily living conditions for yourself. If Didi could rush to the
scene for one Tapashi Mallik, then she could surely hear the voices of 800
poor people and come here to see us. We look forward to seeing her. We hope
that she comes and sees us.

Yours respectfully,

Nonadanga Majdur Palli
Thana-Tiljala
South 24 Parganas



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