State Repression in the Name of Supreme Court Order

Sit-in (dharna) of thousands displaced by Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar dams entered 11th day and indefinite fast of 5 persons entered 9th day today (June 14, 2007). Today is also the 3rd day of 3-day fast of 41 affected people. In the meanwhile, after receiving permission to fill water up to 189 m level in Omkareshwar dam, the administrative repression began in violation of the state's own affidavits. Andolan will file a special petition against this in the Supreme Court of India. Today several key activists and organizations working in various regions of Narmada Valley came and expressed solidarity with the ongoing struggle.
 

In their affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court on 11th June 2007, the State Government and NHDC informed that only 5 villages - Bakhatgarh, Sailani, Gunjari, Rampura and Paldi - will be affected due to back-water when water is filled up to 189 m, and remaining 25 villages will not face any submergence. A day after getting permission on this basis the government's reality is beginning to get exposed. Yesterday, the police persons entered Ekhand and Ghotalgaon villages and removed the electricity transformers. In village Sukwa they could not remove transformers due to protest by the villagers. Tehsildar came to villages Toki and Ghogalgaon to inform that those villages will get submerged by water. Today some officials along with police persons came to the village Dharaji. All these are the villages that will not face submergence as per the State's claim.

All affected people sitting in the dharna at Khandwa walked into the Collectorate and demonstrated against the above-mentioned repression and demanded that the exercise of cutting off electricity should stop, police should not be sent to the villages, and electricity connections must be re-establish wherever they have been cut. After the demonstration a concerned officer reported that electricity is being connected again in places where it was cut. The people pledged that they will not tolerate any kind of injustice and repression.

On the 9th day of indefinite fast, the fasters - Chittaroopa Palit, Bhagwan Mukati, Krishna Bai, Suraj Bai and Ashok Chaturvedi - have lost some weight and their daily medical check-up by the doctor continues.

Alok Agrawal                                     Dharmraj Jai

--Narmada Bachao Andolan Press Release.
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