27 March 2025
National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers (NFSF) strongly supports fishing communities of Tonka, Kasarkod, Honnavar, Uttar Kannada. BJP was voted out in elections and Congress was elected to power during last elections.
And now one only need to see Congress performance from Honnavar coast onwards to North Karnataka.
The way fishing communities of Tonka, Kassarkod under compulsive expulsions from the Coast with Police violence, arrests and intriguing police narrative that fishers as encroachers of Arabian Sea has all been highly objectionable conduct towards respect for fishing communities.
The way Tonka nesting site is being destroyed by Karnataka government by installing ALAN (Artificial Lighting At Night) on Tonka beach on inter-tidal space to disrupt turtle nesting is most disgusting.
The way Cartographic crimes are committed by erasing entire Tonka, Kasarkod fishing habitat from CZMP map is at best conspitorial. What is even more dangerous is that this case (original application no. 212/2024) is believed to be pending in NGT Chennai since 24 September 2024 without any date of next hearing while police are working on ground to clear off people's habitations.
Congress was good as opposition there. Now they have outsmarted BJP in brutalities towards coastal ecosystems and coastal people through violent enforcement of bharatmala - roads and Rail lines plans on Tonka beach for Sagarmala - Ports.
45 people including 07 women criminally charged on February 25, 2025 in latest wave of criminalizing fishing communities with invocation of dozen criminal sections of BNS that attracts punishments of death penalty and life sentences. Even people like Ganapati Tandel and Renuka Tandel who were in Bangalore on that day are criminally charged for crimes on Tonka beach. Raju Tandel, a young fisher from Tonka known for his complaints to Lokayukta was brutal assaulted by police before pushing him in police van. Police inflicted injuries on upper left hand of woman Rojah Tandel, injuries on upper inside thigh of senior fisher Mahmood Koya Sab. Of these 24 fishers were detain in Dharward jail for 24 days in Judicial Custody. Even Rajesh Tandel, leaders of local fisher labouer Union and the one who champions the cause of Olive Ridley turtles nesting site on Tonka beach was criminally charged yet again and jailed. Mental status of Rekha Tandel has decended into severe depressive illness due to shock over witnessing police beastiality on Tonka beating administrating brutal violence on fishers without name plates and badges on their Uniforms with masked faces. Arrested women were abandoned on roadside and hospital at mid-night by police. Conduct of hospital staff to refuse to record police inflicted injuries on hospital case paper records is extremely dangerous collusion of State health authorities with Politically repression regime. It was dark day in the history of fisher struggle in Karnataka in 21st century.
NFSF applauds efforts of Adv. B.T.Venkatesh and his legal team to obtain bail for Tonka fishers.
NFSF has carried on site visits and offered Solidarity with fishing communities under trauma due to state repression and threats to demolish their houses to construct roads and rails on Tonka beach.
Situation is severe of these several thousand fishers who are also well known for fish drying due to unique ecological sensitivity of Tonka beach wherein mouth of Sharavathi River is known to be shifting over time by few kilometers and there is no stability to the beach as portion gets submerged in Arabian Sea water and new beach surfaces over period of time.
NSFS has petioned Deputy Commisioner of Karwar who sanctioned police actions on beaches at Keni, Ankola on 24 February 2025 and Tonka beach very next day on 25 February 2025.
NFSF has also petitioned Chief Minister of Karnataka, Leaders of Opposition in Rajya Sabha as well as leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha expression our fierce opposition to disrupt life of fishing communities on Uttar Kannada Coast.
NSFS is monitoring the ground zero situation minutely and have noted that CCTV cameras are installed on approach paths to the residences of Raju Tandel, Rajesh Tandel and Ganapati Tandel as surveillance measures that violated right to privacy.
NFSF has also noted large number of CRPF personell carrying on marching in the village to create situation of fear and tension to fishing communities on 26 February 2025.
NFSF considers the entire police and Port actions in Tonka and Keni not only as in contravention of the Constitution of India but also in violation to VG-SSF Guidelines to which India is signatory with commitment to protect small scale fishing communities and adoption of eco-system based approach to Fisheries.
NFSF calls for:
1. Withdrawal of all criminal cases against fishers of Tonka,
Kasarkod
2. Total halt to police repression on fishers of Tonka, Kasarkod, Honnavar and Keni, Ankola.
3. Stoppage to police behavior like that of SP Karwar as public relations officers of Private Ports Company calling fishers as encroachers of marine waters.
4. Transformation of colonial thinking that has imposed Ports to destroy fishing based livelihoods and marine ecology on Uttara Kannada Coast.
Sebastiao Rodrigues,
General Secretary,
NFSF
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