Letter to Karwar Deputy Commisioner on Police repression at Tonka and Keni in Uttar Kannada

From:

Sebastiao Rodrigues

General Secretary,

National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers (NFSF),

20/4, Sil Lane, 

Kolkata - 700 015

Mobile: 9923336347

E-mail: inlandfisheries.india@gmail.com 

Date: 27 February 2025

Ref. no. NFSF/GS/Kar-01/25

To,

K. Laxmipriya

Deputy Commisioner,

Karwar,

Uttar Kannada,

Karnataka,

India 

Email: dckarwar@gmail.com 

Phone: 9483511015, 9791099097, 9449589597

Subject: Police repression against fishing communities at Keni, Ankola on 24.02.2025 and at Kasarkod, Honnavar on 25.02.2025...Regarding.

Madam,

We are constrained to draw your attention to the following two media reports:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/fishermen-and-women-jump-into-sea-to-oppose-keni-commercial-port-in-karnataka/article69257361.ece

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangaluru/protest-against-port-intensifies-in-uk-dist/articleshow/118564021.cms

We are shocked to note that your office authorised Police action on small scale fishing communities on the coast of Keni village in Ankola Taluka and in Kasarkod village in Honnavar Taluka back to back on 24 and 25 February 2025.

We have got reports that fishing communities in both the localities are fiercely opposed to the proposed Port projects and your office is providing Police protections to protect Port developers. 

We consider that it is of utmost urgency that coast is defended from such developments as it threatens not only fishing based livelihoods but also community identity as fishers. And we are already aware the irreversible damage faced by fishing communities due to Port installations in Karwar. We got to lessons from this rather than committing more such follies.

We have also received information that 45 fisher people of Kasarkod, Honnavar are criminally chared under as many as thirteen sections of BNS that attracts punishment extending to death sentence and life sentence. This is the reward State administration has bestowed upon these fishers for demonstrating their intention to protect the coast at Tonka, Kasargod that is Turtle Nesting site from permanent damage through Port project. Amongst those criminally charged includes 38 men and 07 women named in FIR registered against them at Honnavara Police station on 25.02.2025 with 0049/2025 as crime number.

What is shocking is that amongst those criminally charged includes also those who were not present to commit the offences they are supposed to have committed. The example of Ganapati Tandel and Renuka Ganapati Tandel is one of the glaring one as they were in transit from Mangalore to Bengaluru on 25.02.2025 evening flight.

The choice of names in FIR indicates malafide intention of mass criminalization of fishing communities to instill fear amongst fearless, courageous and dignified fishers of Kasarkod.

As we came to know through media reports that fishers have been in opposition to Port project for past four years it looks to be desperate attempt of State administration to tag these fishers as criminals once again. We are aware that this was attempted earlier too.

Times of India links we shared on this report has interesting conclusion that we wish to quote for you here "While the government views the port construction as a means to boost trade and commerce, fishermen fear loss of their livelihood." NFSF stands on the side of fishermen and express our total outrage againt all the intimidating tactics adopted against fishing communities both in Ankola and Honnavara coasts.

In Kasarkod 1000 Policemen were brought in to protect surveyors landside of the HTL while people gathered on the beach on inter-tidal space and water. Few Policemen were spotted without their name plates and buckle numbers on their uniforms. Additionally few Policemen covered their faces with black masks which was very suspicious act in itself as we noticed from the photos circulating on social media.

We got reports that police entered people's houses later in the evening and whisked away people to police vans to bebtaken into police custody.

We really want you to take through the labyrinths of criminality attributed to dignified fishermen and fisherwonen of Kasarkod. Here are the 13 sections of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023:

Section on fisherfolk at Tonka;

109; Attempt to murder. This attracts even life sentence.

115(2); Punishment for voluntarily causing 

hurt. This attracts one year in Prison

121(1);Voluntarily causing hurt or grivious hirt to deter public servant from his duty. This has five year jail term

 126(2); Wrongful restraint. This attracts one month imprisonment.

132; Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty. This attracts two years imprisonment. 

189(2);Unlawful assembly- Being member of 

unlawful assembly. This attracts six months jail term.

190;Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object.

191(2); Rioting- Punishment for rioting. Two years jail term.

351(3); Criminal intimidation punishment. This attracts jail sentence of seven years.

352; Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace. This attracts two years imprisonment.

49; Punishment of abetment if act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made 

for its punishment.

61(2); Criminal conspiracy punishment. This attracts death sentence.

74; Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty. This attracts punishment of five years imprisonment.

And now we wish to reproduce names of fishers of Kasarkod recorded in FIR mentioned above. We start with seven women accused:

1. Parvati Datta Tandel

2. Recharge Rajesh Tandel

3. Bharati Rajesh Tandel

4. Renuka Ganapati Tandel

5. Vimala Kamalakar

6. Yashoda Devendra Tandel

7. Vishala Shantaram Tandel

And now 38 fishermen of Kasarkod accused:

1. Rajesh Govind Tandel

2. Hamja Patel

3. Raju Datta Tandel

4. Mahamad Koya Sab

5. Vivan Felison Fernandes

6. Rajesh Sheshagiri Tandel

7. Ayub Sab

8. Bhaskar Tandel

9. Ramesh Babu Tandel

10. Manjunath Devayya Tandel

11. Manoj Sheshagiri Tandel

12. Yasin Hamja Sab

13. Ganapati Tandel

14. Ramesh Manjunath Tandel

15. Manjunath Pandurang Tandel

16. Raghuvendra Prakash Tandel

17. Made Janna Tandel

18. Siyab Shaikh Kunji Sab

19. Rajesh Mohan Tandel

20. Mahammad Yahya Mohammad Sab Baba

21. Nagaraj Devappa Tandel

22. Basheer Ismail Patel

23. Mahammad Abdul Patel

24. Tamum Jameer Sab

25. Suleman G.H. Hassan

26. Siraj Hamjad Sab

27. Sachin Chandra Tandel

28. Sandeep Ramdas Tandel

29. Narasimha Nanda Tandel

30. Salman Khan Ismail Sab

31. Subray Damu Tandel

32. Harsha Pandurang Tandel

33. Kiran Ramchandra Mesta

34. Shantaram Manjunath Tandel

35. Vinay Krishna Tandel

36. Manjunath Tandel

37. Ashfaq Mahhamad Nellikum

38. Ramesh Manjunath Tandel

And the team that criminalized these fishers all have common address: Port office, Honnavar, R/o Sea Bird Road, Baithkol, Karwar, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

The one signed as complainant is Sayinath Narayan Pednekar. And five names that appears in FIR includes Matesh Fernandes, Roshan Gunagi, Vivek Savant, Batte A.Y. and Vinayak Datta Naik. 

Please convey our strongest outrage to the Karnataka administration that has unleashed Police terror though your office against fishing communities defending their lives and fishing based livelihoods. 

We hereby call upon your office: 

1. To stop harrarrasing and criminalizing fishing communities who live dignified life though their fishing based hard labour. Neither State nor Corporate has right to expell them from the coast. 

2. To withdraw all the criminal cases filed against fishers on 25.02.2025 as mentioned above. We call upon your office to get the FIR quashed.

Fishers in Uttara Kannada deserve much better treatment than the way your office is perceiving them as criminals that are to be banished from the coast. This is indeed abuse of your office to launch something heineou against fishing communities who are first defence of our coasts. It is deeply regrettable to note the way your office is treating fishing communities in insulting manner.

Awaiting your quick and decisive response in defence of fishing communities.

Thanking you, 

Yours Truly,

Sebastiao Rodrigues

General Secretary, 

National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers (NFSF)

Copy to:

1. All concerned government authorities 

2. Fishing communities on the coast of Uttara Kannada District.

Towards ressurecting civil society in Goa in support of Sao Jose de Areal

"A village whose protests against pollution have been forgotten by the government and civil society"

-Neshwin Almeida in the Goan, October 20, 2012

https://www.thegoan.net/goa-news/death-by-coal/1514.html

Forgot by Government and Civil society. This is how Neshwin Almeida dissected  the pollution issues in Sao Jose de Areal village in South Goa.

This is brilliant insight into politics of memory and memory of politics being pointed out as cause of suffering of People of Sao Jose de Areal.

Why did Government ignored protests of the villagers?

Why did Civil Society in Goa ignore protests against phenomenal so incivil and dark?

It's important to reflect here. What constitutes Government? What constitutes Civil society?

If both Government and Civil society has ignored pollution issue of Sao Jose de Areal it mean both want Sao Jose de Areal to continue in black misery.

Why there is no intervention around memory when it was identified as cause of daily death of the living in Sao Jose de Areal?

Lessons we get to learn are truly instructive. 

You are welcome to imagine powerful and vibrant Civil society that will generate sufficient Resilience to tackle and push out black reality of Sao Jose de Areal successfully.

Soa Jose de Areal has talented people and Pollution issue from Dempo owned Goa Carbons limited is daily menacing issue. Why people competent in writing haven't articulated it persistently over the years?

Conclusion is simple: the intelligentsia of the village are not interested in welfare of the village as far as pollution issues are concerned. They are busy in their project of diverting attention away through their writing. Not every one can be fooled every every time. Someday truth will escape through the cracks in the wall.

Its time now to put the issue of Sao Jose de Areal pollution on our minds. We may be affected directly, indirectly, remotely or not at all. This is clear case of social oppression primarily and environmental issue secondarily.

We need to build up Solidarity network with the villagers of Sao Jose de Areal as foundation of redress mechanism. Without strong social relations environmental interventions are not workable.

So my friends put up your thinking caps and come out with measures needed to take up:

1.

2.

3.

You will have your own ingenuity to fill up the above and share back.

Springtime of Arrests in Goa

Goa seems to have entered into spring season of arrests of those who express political dissent. Past few days have shown the glimpses of onset of emergency in Goa where Fundamental Rights are placed in suspension if not abrogated outright.

We have witnessed arrests of three lead political dissenters of Goa Adv.Pratima Coutinho, Sanjay Barde and Rama Kankonkar. The tyrannical state though is political, it's motives are econnomic terrorism, intention is psychological warfare.

Goa is headed straight into cesspool of diversity of stinking corruption both moral and economic, executed with brute accuracy by its politicians and their kin and kith.

In the process the stakes are huge. The battle for land is at hand. Battle for language in whatever script can be futile if it's not rooted in battle for land.

Filing of frivolous cases against Rama Kankonkar also attracts provisions section 3 of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, one of the least applied laws in Goa.

Long time ago there was regime in India that believed that Sun never sets on its rule. The rulers went on arresting those dissenting. One man that regime arrested multiple times. His name is M.K.Gandhi. Multiple arrests made him even greater than the greats, Mahatma. Goa Government has just embarked on innings to elevate few amongst the Commons to that status step by step. Arrests are magnificent propellers for greatness for the one in whose chest burns flame of freedom and love for Justice.  No Police arrests can doze off kindred spirit. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for the cause of freedom from apartheid policies in South Africa.

Bharat Mukti Morcha call upon Goa Government to stop police repression on those expressing dissent in the interests of Political sanity if any.

Repression on People can have unpredictable impacts considering the glimpses of evidence of law and order on Goa has gone for a mighty toss with people issuing threats to bury elected representative alive in Sancoale. Implication of such statements are severe with democracy and Constitution of India being the presitine casualties.

For Goa these spring time of arrests is yet another consequence being annexed through conquest in 1961. These cannot be fruits of Liberation. Wither Liberation? Truly, still Lambert Mascarenhas is valid: sorrowing lies my land.

Bharat Mukti Morcha express support and Solidarity with all the people actively pursuing cause of Justice in various forms in Goa against all kinds of vested interests.

Bharat Mukti Morcha call for quashing of criminal cases against Rama Kankonkar with immediate effect and he be set free from Police custody.

S.A.Rodrigues
Convenor
Bharat Mukti Morcha,
Goa State

After dozen years Sao Jose Areal Goa Carbon siege story still relevant

Dozen years ago Neshwin Almeida observed that village of Sao Jose de Areal is under siege in his investigative writings still available online:

https://www.thegoan.net/goa-news/death-by-coal/1514.html

Here is the team from Goa Carbons that operates behind the scenes to maintain the siege with its iron grip. They are currently board of directors of Goa Carbon Limited who operates three factories in India in Chattisgarh, Odisha and Goa. 

For some peculiar reasons board of directors still consider the lives of people residing in Sao Jose de Areal as dispensibe and their lungs and all other organs of their bodies can be stocked with that black nasty release from this red category factory in the middle of village.

And here we go enumerating these bunch of guys:

1. Shrinivas V. Dempo, Promoter and Chairman. He loves to promote pollution in Sao Jose de Areal. He is also heading Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), currently. His wife Pallavi Dempo contested last Parliamentary elections and did not spend single span of even 24 hours in Sao Jose de Areal to inhale black perfume released by their family enterprise.

2. Kiran Dhingra, Independent Director. She was Chief Secretary of Goa. We are not sure as to why she has to soil her hands in this crime in her retirement days.

3. Nagesh Pinge, Independent Director 

4. Subodh Nadkarni, Independent Director 

5. Subhrakant Panda, Independent Director

6. Rajesh S. Dempo, Non-Executive Director 

7. Jagmohan Chabbra, Non-Executive Director

8. Anupam Misra, Executive Director

This polluting company was founded by Vasantrao Dempo who is notirious for mining destruction of Goa. 

Let's keep this under scanner as this is amongst most dangerous consequences of Indian amnexure of Goa through conquest in 1961.

One year of Goa IT Department lethargy on cellular radiation assurances

It was on February 08, 2024 that Noryh Goa District Level Telecom Committee met in Panjim chaired by North Goa Collector Ms. Sneha Gitte in presence of Shri Pradeep Gaonkar, Assistant Director, Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications. Various people from North Goa with complaints against mobile towers were called at the meeting. Certain decisions were taken too like those recorded on minutes as follows:

1. With regard to complaint against mobile tower next to Government primary school at Morlem colony in Sattari it is recorded "The Collector assured that the complaints would be forwarded to the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, for necessary action and report on the health effects of radiation." Nothing is known about the follow up on this from IT Department. RTI response reveal that Department has no information!

2. With regard to complaint against mobile tower at survey no.2/1, at Navelim, Divar minutes notes " The Collector suggested exploring options under the Goa Telecom Infrastructure Policy 2020 and involving Public Works Department (PWD) as permission issued by them". Again nothing is known about the follow up and IT Department of Goa has no information to share in response to RTI.

3. With regard to public opposition to mobile towers at Guirim and Kumbharjua that has halted construction work at both sites minutes notes "The Collector assured that all complaints regarding health hazards would be forwarded to the department of Telecommunications, Government of India, for necessary reports." Nothing is known as to what happened to the collector's assurance. How wise is the decision of Collector to approach Department of Telecommunications, Government of India instead of Ministry of Health, Government of Goa or Government of India?

4. With regard to Objections for Installation of Tower at Siridao, Palem by village Sarpanch herself minutes records "The Collector reiterated the plan to forward all health-related complaints to the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, for appropriate action and reports." Nothin is known about this decision even after one year later.

5. North Goa Collector herself suggested at the meeting that "Infrastructure Providers (IPs) conduct awareness camps at the village Panchayat level to educate residents about radiation-related health effects." Nothing is know about the implementation of this decision so far and IT Department has no information to share as per RTI response.

6. RTI response referred here is addressed to Shri Ashok Bablo Gawas dated 20/11/2024 by Prajeet Chodankar, Public Information Officer and Dy. Director (Admn.), Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa where reply is "NIL".

So one year later after the North Goa Telecom Committee meeting assurances of the Noth Goa Collector has remained without fulfilling. This indicated that there is crisis in Telecom governance in Goa and complete disregard to Public Health issues prompted by cellular ecosystem.

We need massive public involvement to set things right. You are encouraged to get involved to initiate grassroots moves at assert ourselves against being hoodwinked by cellular corporates. 

Ashok B. Gawas

Convenor, 

Goa Cellular Watch 

M: 9923272471