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Accusing the accusers

THE CAMPAIGN GOES ON Greenpeace activists (from Left) Imran Khan, Vidhan Chandra Singh and Ashish Fernandes PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY

It was an innovative way of registering a strapping protest. But it yellowed in contrast to what it turned out to be for the protesters.

Greenpeace activists in New Delhi recently lined up rows of olive ridley turtle carcasses found on the Orissa coast in white shrouds with marigold garlands at the Aurangazeb Road residence of that State's Chief Minister, Navin Patnaik. It was to question "the silence" of his government in protecting the world's largest mass nesting site of the turtles. As the news spread with the progress of the day, and as camerapersons flashed enough light on the protest banner, "Chief Accused Chief Minister", down swooped Delhi Police personnel on the activists with an accusation of their own: violation of the Wildlife Protection Act. Three young activists of the organisation, Imran Khan, Ashish Fernandes and Vidhan Chandra Singh, were accused of carrying dead specimen of a protected species and sent off to Tihar jail.

"We spent the first night at the Tughlaq Road police station and then were sent to Tihar. Imran was released after three nights and I and Vidhan were out the next day," relates Ashish. Calling the protest plan as "a collective idea", Ashish, a Mumbaiite working for Greenpeace for close to four years now, says, "We expected some resistance but not this kind. It is an irony that those coming out for the cause of turtle protection are being slapped with the charge of killing them." He along with Imran and Vidhan are a part of a Greenpeace olive ridley turtle monitoring camp in a coastal village called Devi in Orissa's Jagatsingpur district.

Talking of the camp activities, the trio has some startling statements to make. "Our monitoring of the coastline for a stretch of just 80 km between Rishikolia and Gahermatha has revealed 2,127 dead olive ridley turtles this year. Heavy trawling pressure is the cause behind it and the Government has done nothing to stop it. There are no signboards, no warnings, no patrolling boats to stop fishermen from going to the sea," says Ashish. Vidhan adds, "Greenpeace has a monitoring vessel there and also, we do watch-out walks along the shore." Imran says having lived with the locals they have realised that "the fishermen actually are not aware of the larger picture."

"When we tell them that this is the largest nesting ground of olive ridley turtles in the world, they feel quite proud. So we are sure that a thrust on an alternative livelihood will do great service in protecting the area," he reasons.

"After being tired of petitioning the State Government agencies, seeking to know what is being done to conserve the protected species," they say, "We thought of launching this protest right in the national Capital. We wanted to bring people face to face with the real situation."

And having done that, they have retraced their tracks back to Devi. And of course, back to more action.

SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY

SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY

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