The Hindu : Front Page : Medha to go on fast

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Saturday, Nov 10, 2007
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Medha to go on fast

Special Correspondent

— Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury

PERTURBED: Medha Patkar and noted dramatist Bibhash Chakrabarty at a press meet in Kolkata on Friday.

KOLKATA: Social activist Medha Patkar and representatives of various other “people’s organisations” will be going on a 48-hour hunger-strike from Saturday demanding a “political decision” from the West Bengal Government “to withdraw all their cadres [presumably of the Communist Party of India -Marxist] who have been politically motivated and mobilised” from the Nandigram area of West Bengal’s Purbo Medinipur district.

Announcing this here on Friday, Ms. Patkar said that a memorandum had been submitted to Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi requesting him “to take appropriate action to ensure that there will be justice done to us without violating our right to be able to reach or approach Nandigram”.

Ms. Patkar and some of her associates had been prevented from proceeding towards Nandigram on Thursday, allegedly by CPI(M) supporters. In protest she had held a dharna at the spot where she was forced to discontinue her journey to the area and alleged that she and her companions were hit on the face after the vehicle in which she was travelling was attacked.

She along with members of different civil liberties’ organisations met the Governor and discussed the Nandigram issue.

Later she participated in a sit-in against the curtailment of people’s rights and atrocities being committed in Nandigram.

The site of the hunger-strike is where Trinamool

Congress chief had gone on a 25-day fast in December 2006 in protest against alleged forcible acquisition of land from peasants for the Tata Motors’ car manufacturing project at Singur.

In the memorandum to the Governor Ms. Patkar demanded the intervention of the Centre for restoration of peace in Nandigram and safeguarding of people’s right to life and free movement. Critical of the “partisan” attitude of the police, the memorandum demanded urgent intervention by the Governor as well as the Centre to make Nandigram accessible to outsiders by “ensuring the withdrawal of the siege” there.

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