Indian Govt. Stoops to New Low With Arrest of Fasting Activists;"Offering Jail as Rehabilitation for Narmada Oustees"; While Illegal Raising of Dam Continues

Contact:
Aniruddha Vaidya:   650-996-8249

Kiran Vissa: 240-485-8404

Sudarshan Suresh:   480-363-0081

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 5, 2006. Wednesday. College   Park, Maryland, USA.

One of India's foremost social activists Medha Patkar and   her colleague Jamsingh Nargave, both of whom have been on an indefinite fast for   the past 8 days have been arrested and forcibly moved to hospitals in New Delhi.   The volunteers of the Association for India's Development (AID) condemn the   forced removal of the activists in the strongest possible terms.  Medha   Patkar, Jamsingh Nargave and Bhagwatibai Jatpuria started the fast   on March 29th after talks with state and central government officials and even   with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh failed to ensure the stoppage of work to   increase the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The height of the dam on the   Narmada River is being increased contrary to Supreme Court orders passed last   year, without rehabilitating nearly 35000 project affected families in the   submergence zone of the dam.

Based on information from the Narmada   Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada Movement) Medha Patkar and Jamsingh have been taken   to hospitals, possibly for force feeding. Curiously a third colleague   Bhagwatibai who also started the fast with the former two as well as others who   joined the fast more recently were not arrested or taken to hospital. About 250   other activists and supporters of the Narmada Bachao Andolan were detained at   approximately at 11:30pm India time on Wednesday  apparently on   direct orders from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office. There is a   continuing police presence at the protest site.

Aniruddha Vaidya, an AID   volunteer from Mountain View, Calif., expressed shock at the government's   actions saying, "Are jail cells and destitution the only rehabilitation package   the government can offer to the project-affected? This action will receive   all-round condemnation from the people of India."

The detentions and   forced removals are intended to break the will of the fasting activists, and to   break communication amongst activists and the large number of supporters in   solidarity with the struggle. The fast and protest action has clearly captured   national and international attention, and has the support of a large number of   people at the grassroots who are facing similar alienation of resources at   various levels. Is the government's response to this swell of public opinion to   simply arrest and shut up the protestors?

The protestors have undertaken   the fast only after the Prime Minister's Office broke its promise of a   resolution by March 28th. It is to be noted that on March 11th, the Union   Minister for Water Resources Mr. Soz stated about the decision to raise the   height of the dam, "I am not at all satisfied with the resettlement and   rehabilitation of the project-affected families... The clearance given by the   resettlement and rehabilitation sub-group of the Narmada Control Authority to   raise the dam height was premature."

However, in spite of this clear   admission of the incorrect decision to raise the dam height, the government has   not taken any action to correct the situation, and the dam continues to be   built. Two former Prime Ministers, Mr. V.P. Singh and Mr. I.K. Gujral have   called for a "freeze" in the construction until the rehabilitation situation is   resolved. However, while the government plans to send a ministerial delegation   to the Narmada valley on Thursday, it is turning out to be a case of too little,   too late.

The action by Medha Patkar and her colleagues is a   quintessentially Indian form of non-violent and moral protest made famous by   Mahatma Gandhi that is being used by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada   Movement). This is in sharp contrast to the violence of war and terrorism that   is used by state and non-state actors alike today. Is this government of the   Congress party, which claims to have descended from the Indian freedom movement   and the Indian National Congress, capable of only such a cowardly action? Aren't   they capable of upholding the truth, which is what a Gandhian satyagraha insists on?  

About AID: The Association for India's Development (AID) is a 501   (c)(3) charitable non-profit organization with 35 chapters in the US. AID is   committed to the cause of alleviating poverty in India measuring progress   through the yardsticks of self-reliance, people's involvement and volunteerism.   AID supports projects that empower poor and marginalized communities in India   through various social developmental efforts in areas such as women's issues,   education, literacy, micro-credit, community health, sustainable livelihoods,   watershed development and environmental issues. AID is in solidarity with   gassroots people's movements such as the Narmada movement and the Bhopal   campaign.  

Additional   information:
Association for India's Development
Friends of River Narmada