Narmada Bachao Andolan rally

Human Rights Defenders and Activists

Gujarat

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on 7 June regarding illegal detention of those who were participating in a rally organised by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA). Those detained were prominent activists and leaders of the peaceful civil society and peoples’ movements: Medha Patkar, Prafulla Samantara, Sowmya Dutta, Dr. Sunilam, Jasbir Singh, Nita Mahadev and hundreds of supporters. Narmada BachaoAndolan is a non-violent social movement which mainly works for the rights of people displaced due to development projects across the Narmada river terrain affecting people in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.  

On June 7, 2017 the participants of the rally were stopped and detained by the Gujarat Police at a check-post in Kavta village of Chhota Udaipur district of Gujarat. It is important to note that the police personnel who stopped them did not have any written order for detaining the participants of the rally. Around 2 PM, the Gujarat Police arrested well-known social activists Medha Patkar, Prafulla Samantara, Dr. Sunilam, Aradhna Bhargava, Madhuresh Kumar, Himshi Singh, supporters from Gujarat and approximately 60 more people at the Gujarat border in Chhota Udaipur district. Gujarat Police and administration have prima-facie violated Article 19 (1)(b) of the Indian Constitution. It has been held that the right to hold a meeting or a demonstration involves the constitutional right of every citizen of assembly under Article 19(l)(b), of expression under Article 19 (l)(a), and of free movement throughout the territory of India under Article 19 (l)(d).