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:
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.
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