The Hindu : Attack will not deter NBA: Medha Patkar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 10, 2002

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National

Attack will not deter NBA: Medha Patkar

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 9. The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader, Medha Patkar, today said that incidents such as the one that happened on Sunday at Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmemdabad, where she was manhandled, will not deter the movement on Narmada dam or for a proper National Water Policy, respect for all religions and egalitarianism.

Condemning the attack on journalists, she said: "It was not only against the freedom of expression but was also a retaliation for the exposure of the inhuman violence perpetuated with the backing of the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. All democratic, civil organisations should carry forward the demand for his ouster to its logical conclusion.''

Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Patkar said that she had received "not one but two invitations'' to attend the peace and communal harmony meeting at Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

She said as the venue of the meeting had been changed, she telephoned the organisers to check out the venue before coming for the meeting. On her arrival, Ms. Patkar was given a warm reception and welcomed to the meeting by the organisers. A few minutes after her arrival, the meeting was adjourned for lunch.

As Ms. Patkar was talking to some journalists, about four persons, including Rohit Patel and some Congressmen, gheraoed her and loudly started questioning her about the Sardar Sarovar dam being constructed on Narmada river in Gujarat. As they were beginning to get into an argument, Ms. Patkar told them that "the issue here was of communal harmony and not the Narmada dam''.

She suggested that they could talk about the dam some other day. But when they questioned her about her presence at a meeting on peace and communal harmony, she dug her heels in. She said, "any citizen's sensitivity, commitment and duty is enough to bring her/him to such peace efforts. This is her/his right.''

Ms. Patkar has been associated with Gujarat in other capacities than as an "anti-Narmada dam activist" alone. Last year, she and NBA were active in relief work in the earthquake-affected areas in the State. Ms. Patkar has worked for some years in Sabarkantha, Daang, Panchmahal and Banaskantha districts. She was active in relief work during the Morvi dam incident and earlier riots in Baroda and elsewhere. In fact, the NBA is headquartered at Baroda.

Later, just as the meeting was being reconvened, a group of BJP people pounced on her. One of them kicked her in the face and they pulled her hair and rained blows on her. (Ms. Patkar has been seen on television footage covering her face with her arms.) These people were later identified as Amit Shah, BJP Councillor, Amit Thakkar of the BJP Yuva Morcha and V.K. Saxena, who is said to be behind a hate campaign launched through advertisements against Ms. Patkar for her stance on the Narmada dam.

Ms. Patkar was saved by other NGOs at the meeting and police officers on the spot who took her to another room. Later, she was escorted to Baroda from where she left for Mumbai.

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