Repression of Social Activists in Chhattisgarh

COMMUNICATION

There seems to be no end to the repression of social activists in Chhattisgarh. After the Chhattisgarh administration tried its best to keep Dr Binayak Sen behind bars, now it is the turn of social and environmental activists Ramesh Aggarwal and Harihar Patel to face the wrath of the government. The State Government appears to be extremely intolerant towards sincere activists who try to protect rural livelihoods and environment from the onslaught of those big capitalists who (in collusion with the State Govern-ment) try to plunder the natural resources of the State as quickly as possible to fill their coffers.

Ramesh Aggarwal has played an important role in keeping alive the voice of villagers and farmers in the wake of efforts to subjugate the people of the Raigarh region to the ambitious plans, whims and fancies of an industrial house. The efforts of Ramesh Aggarwal and his colleagues were very courageous keeping in view the fact that the entire weight of the official machinery had been put behind the industrialist. In these adverse conditions Ramesh filed complaints against the dominating capitalist’s coal washeries, power plant, cement plant and expansion projects. One of these complaints of glaring violation of environmental rules had prompted the Union Ministry of Environment to order an inquiry. In another complaint Ramesh Aggarwal had drawn attention to the violation of basic norms in the conduct of public hearings so that the voice of people affected by projects could not be heard properly as per the legal norms.

Despite widespread appreciation of these efforts to protect the environment, sustainable rural livelihoods and democratic norms, Ramesh Aggarwal and Harihar Patel were arrested on May 28.

Apart from condemning these arrests, all those who support democratic and peaceful struggles for justice should also come together for a thorough probe into the recent murky situation of Raigarh as a case-study of how both lives and livelihood of the people and basic democratic norms of governance are violated when a leading industrial house starts dominating all aspects of the life of a region.

It may be recalled here that it was during the tenure of an earlier BJP Government that the legendary trade union leader, Shankar Guha Niyogi, was murdered. Before this numerous incidents of the collusion of the government and industrialists in unleashing a wave of repression against the struggles of exploited workers had come to light. Thousands of these workers believe that the real killers of Niyogi managed to escape using their huge money power.

What is the message such governments are trying to convey to democracy and peaceful struggles?

Bharat Dogra

C-27, Raksha Kunj, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi-110063. Ph.: 25255303