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Journalism of Courage
GANDHINAGAR, MARCH 24: Fifty-nine-year-old Mahadevbhai Raval was stripped and paraded in an open jeep in Barda village in Badwani district of Madhya Pradesh allegedly by activists of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. He and his colleagues were then beaten up. His crime: working on rehabilitation of Narmada oustees in Badwani district where he had been posted by the Gujarat Government three years ago.
Raval, who was here to meet Narmada Development Minister Jaynarayan Vyas on Wednesday, told reporters that this was the eighth time they had been attacked by NBA activists. Complaints lodged with the local police fell on deaf ears, he said.
Raval, who is a Deputy Executive Engineer in the Narmada Project Rehabilitation Co-ordination Committee, said that on March 21, his jeep was surrounded by local NBA activists who asked the driver to identify the officials from Gujarat. When they found out that one of them was Raval, they called him a dalal (broker) for Narmada and beat him up after stripping him.
Hiscolleagues working as extension officers were also roughed up and their clothes torn. According to Raval, around 90 families rehabilitated in the area are now living in terror following threats from the NBA.
"I am afraid if I go back and resume work, they will kill me. They are already threatening my family on phone… but I will go back on March 30 as I have assured the local oustees that I will be back with them soon," Raval said.
He alleged that there were 87 rehabilitation sites which remained unused because of the NBA’s terror tactics while the local police was totally biased in favour of NBA.
Raval and his team also met Justice P D Desai who is overseeing rehabilitation work in Gujarat. They said Justice Desai had promised them help though it was not within his jurisdiction. The Supreme Court, Raval said, had been apprised of the previous attacks.
Narmada Development Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said he would take up the matter with Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary to ensure safety of these officialsand the rehabilitated oustees.
Vyas said the matter would also be taken up at a chief ministerial level and the Narmada Control Authority would be apprised of large-scale tree-felling in certain areas of Madhya Pradesh which would be harmful for the dam in the long run. The minister said NCA would be urged to ask MP to stop this forthwith.
On his part, Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd Chairman Bhupendrasinh Chudasama has said he will approach the Badwani DSP and Collector.
