MAHUVA MOVEMENT TURNED INTO WAR FRONT BY

THE GOVT. OF GUJARAT

The Govt.of Gujarat sanctioned to Nirma Ltd. 288 hectares (720 acres) to construct
cement factory and 3000 hectares (7500 acres) for limestone mining. It would only employ
418 people. The total investment is Rs. 2500 crore (Rs. 25 billion).
In one article Meenakshi J oshi wrote some time back that," In vibrant Gujarat, the Chief minister of Gujarat
Narendra Modi has claimed recently in Delhi that there are no villages in Gujarat.It is true that there is a high
of urbanization in Gujarat but officially there are 18,124 villages in Gujarat, and now the villages are challeng
the so called industrialization and development."

About the Mahuva movement she wrote, "In the district of Bhavnagar (Saurashtra), Mahuva is a taluka place.
The location of the area can be related to the shooting of the movie Bhuvan Shome by Mrinal Sen. Here the
state Govt. has allotted the land to Nirma Company to set up a cement plant. Because this area has a rich deposit
of Lime Stone .But the villagers are raising their voice against the allotment of land. More than 45,000 people
are resisting and protesting, which has taken away the sleep of the Govt. officials.

Map of the water bodies


Mahuva is
situated in the
western coast of
Gujarat.
Once the land
was barren and
was prone to
salinity
ingress.
Only 10% of the
land was
used for
cultivation.
Measures
were taken to
check
salinity
ingress
which yielded result and land became cultivable. Now almost 100% land are cultivated. One
can guess from the use of pesticides in the land. There are about 72 shops selling pesticides
and the annual turn over of these shops is about 17 to 18 cr.
The onion production is quite high. More than 52 dehydration plants of Onion are
operational here.
5,000 people are directly employed in onion farming. The export of onion earns foreign
exchange in tune to cr. This is not all in agricultures. In addition to that 18 cotton ginning
factories are running.
The people of Mahuva taluka are apprehending that due to the cement plant and the
allotment of land to NIRMA, they will lose the agricultural land, onion production and the
production of Cotton and the ginning factory may face closure and lose direct employment.
The cement factory will give employment to only 418 people and that too not necessarily to
local people.
The greenery and pictures of cultivation after checking the salinity in grease

the check dam which was constructed by the Govt to chech salinityF The cultivated land given to Nirma by
the Govt.



The Sunset in Dugheri Even Fishing form Check Dam


The discontent of the people grew day by day. The villagers of Samddhiyala formed a
committee, Mahuva Khetivadi Paryavaran Bachao Samiti. This Samiti has filed a petition in
Gujarat High Court against the proposed cement plant. The State Govt. has formed two
committees to decide the controversy. One committee is experts' committee and another one
is of ministers' committee.
Interestingly the lawyer of the Govt.(Advocate General ) is too the lawyer of NIRMA Ltd.
The peasants were apprehensive of justice meted to them and so organized a huge
demonstration before the office of the Advocate General and thousand courted arrest. The
hearing in High Court is due. Now voice of struggle of the people of Mahuva is gaining
support from Bhavnagar district and from other parts of the state. The fighting people are
adopting newer tactics and forms of movement to involve the broadest section of the masses.
Apart from sending delegation to various administrative bodies of the Govt., they are
organizing public meetings, demonstrations, rallies etc. A twenty kms. Padyatra was taken
up. They are also planning to call an all party public meeting in support of their cause. They
have proposed the Govt. to take the people's Referendum as it took place in SEZ in Raigarh
of Maharashtra. The movement is gaining support day by day and the Govt. was compelled
to ask NIRMA Company to suspend the work.

The people of Mahuva have taken the course of movement to save their water bodies from being snatc
away by Nirma to set up a Cement Factory. They have taken all democratic program of movement to m
the government hear their plea. But the government and its administrations have taken a pro-Corporate st
and helped in all manners to any how crush the movement. The recent incident surrounding the R
organized on 25th February, 2010 is the most heinous among them.
The Rally was organized on 25th February, 2010from Gandhi Ashram to Gandhinagar to
submit a Memorandum containing blood-stained signatures of 11,111 people to the Chief
Minister.
On 13th December '09 the local legislator, Dr Kanubhai Kalsariya, 92 year old Gandhian
Chunibhai Vaidya, Sagar Rabari, Anniruddhbhai J adeja, Lakhan Musafir and Anand
Mazgaonkar were prevented from holding a public meeting in Vangar village. Two local
leaders Shri Wamanbhai and Pravinbhai Kathiria were beaten up apparently by hired goons,
and other villagers were manhandled by the police. The company has started pre-construction
activities

The presence of police van a normal feature

Glimpse of the police atrocities

.
Rally on 20th. February in Mahuva crushed
As a part of this grand people's deputation to Gandhinagar a preparatory Rally (as a Part of
rehearsal) was organized in Mahuva on 20th February. The police permission was sought
earlier to which the administration did not respond. The people were prevented from coming
to participate in the Rally. The determined people gathered and marched in a procession, on
the face of threat and intimidation by police and the goondas of Nirma. As the silent
procession, advanced few feet they were lathicharged and detained. The police falsely alleges
that the participants pelted stone on them. Interestingly while detaining and carrying them in
the police van, the Police Sub Inspectors finger got injured, because it came between the
doors of the police van. But the police sub Inspector alleged that activists bit his finger and
he went on leave for 6days.
Kadavi hehn

About 50 people were detained in Mahuva
Police Station. In the lathicharge Shri Samatbhai
Devshibhai J oliya was seriously injured on head
and was unconscious, but he was thrown by the
police in lock-up along with the criminals. For 3
long hours he was not given any treatment under
the pretext of permission from higher authorities. When the activists themselves called 108,
one of their ambulances was not working and other was on the field. Finally when the
government ambulance arrived it did not have stretcher. The patient had to be carried in
peasant's turban.
One woman, Shri Kadviben, the Valliant lady who is in the movement from very
beginning, was held by two male police and beaten by the third male police. The P.S.I.
whose finger was injured was admitted to hospital. And for that offence 9 activists were
arrested under various sections. Their finger prints were taken and their photographs were
taken with slate containing their offences in their hand, the same treatment which is given to
a criminal. More over, they were not granted bail and were nor allowed to make any phone
calls as long as the P.S.I. remains admitted to the hospital. And he remained admitted in the
hospital for this minor finger injury, for a week. The arrested activists were released on 26th
February, i.e. the day after the day of rally. In the protest of the lathicharge, Mahuva Bandh
Call was given.
But that was not all. The next day on 21st, Shri Kanubhai Kalsariya who was returning in
his car with his wife and other companions from Doliya village after a preparatory meeting
for 25th Rally, about 40-50 private men of Nirma wearing helmet, attacked his car. The
glasses of the car were broken; Kanubhai and his wife Anusuyaben were badly injured. The
villagers came to rescue and the goondas left. The injured were taken to hospital.
Sabarmati Ashram road taken ovwer ny Armed police to prevent March to Gandhinagar



As Mahuva Rally was a dress-rehearsal for the protesting people to attend the rally from
Gandhi Ashram to Gandhinagar, so also the atrocities of police in Mahuva was Dress-
Rehearsal of what was to come in Ahmedabad. All the vehicles leaving Mahuva and nearby
villages on 24th were strictly checked, each passengers interrogated, their luggage checked.
If found suspicious were detained, the buses were stopped and emptied.
But the determined people started reaching Ahmedabad, daring all the barricades.
Kadviben was in a bus which was stopped on 24th and all its passengers were made to climb
down. She escaped and walk all along to Talgajarda village, from there to J esar and moving
from here and there, she managed to reach Ahmedabad to Gandhi Ashram .
.
The people who could reach Gandhi Ashram found the entire area highly fortified with a
huge number of armed police, the police checked passers-by found and detained them who
appeared to participate in the Rally. Myself (Bhavik Raja), Meenakshiben J oshi and other
THE AREEST GALORE

Women activist Meenakshi Joshi whisked away by police

volunteers were whisked away forcefully in the first
instant. On the scheduled time of rally Shri Chunibhai
Vaidya, Shri Prakashbhai N. Shah, Shri Ilaben Pathak
and Shri Sanatbhai Mehta, Shri Kanubhai were
arrested with a large contingent of protesters from
Mahuva, which was unprecedented, Van after Van of
Police detained them to Police Stadium.


Chunibhai Vaidya and others spirited march and MLA Kanubhai Kalasaria cheered by protesters


Students leader Bhavik Raja whisked by police forcefully














Chunibhai Vaidya along with Ilaben Pathak , Chunibahi Vaidya and Prakashbhai taken by the police
Anand Mazgaonkar and others arrested .



The detention too could not deter the spirit of the people. They started singing Revolutionary songs, "Danko Vagyo
Ladvaya Shoora J agjo ..Bhavik raja & Sachin Shah presenting the songs. Seated are Chunibhai Vaidya,
Prakashbhai Shah, Kanubhai Kalsariya, Sanat Mehta, Ilaben Pathak and many others
Re" dancing and jumping
hilariously, shouting slogans," Land belongs to the people and not the Government" etc. the
leaders deliberated. And the entire stadium turned into the dais of public program. To
undermine the number of detainees, police provided only 175 cups of tea. Even many did not
get food in the afternoon though they were kept till late evening. When the detainees were
relieved, a Call of Mahuva Day on 6th March was given before dispersing.

The next day, Shri Kanubhai pleaded the Speaker of Assembly, Mr. Ashok Bhatt, to allow him to
represent his Memorandum to which the Speaker refused saying that prior permission was not
taken. When Kanubhai threatened to go on fast unto death, he was allowed to meet The Chief
Minister Mr. Narendra Modi along with his wife,
where he submitted the memorandum signed with
blood by the 11,111villgaers. On the other hand, Shri
Chunibhai and 25 villagers who were also coming to
meet the Industry Minister Shri Saurabh Patel were
detained at D.S.P. office. On Kanubhai's insistence,
they were relieved and allowed to appear before the
Industry Minister.






6th MARCH- MAHUVA DAY OBSERVED BY LOK ANDOLAN
GUJARAT IN THE STATE
6th March was observed by Lok Andolan Gujarat as Mahuva Day in the entire state in
solidarity with the
peasants of Mahuva.

Responding to the call,
a huge Demonstration
was staged at Town
Hall in Ahmedabad in
which large number of
citizens participated.
Among them were Shri Chunibhai Vaidya, Shri Prakashbhai N. Shah, Shri Rohitbhai Shukla,
Shri Ilaben Pathak, Dr. Sudarshan Iyenger, Dr. Ghanshyam Shah, Shri Gautam Thaker, Shri
Dwarikanath Rath, Shri Dilip Chandulal, Shri Manishi J ani, Shri Prahladray Avasthi, Shri R.D.
Dave, Shri Ramaben Vora, Shri Suvarnaben, Nayanaben Shah, Meenakshi J oshi, Shri J ayesh
Patel, Shri Bhavik Raja, Father Cedric Prakash, Prof. Sanjay Bhave, Shri Kanubhai Khadadiya
Shri Buddhidhan Trivedi , young friends of Samvedan Sanskritik Manch and many others. In
support with fighting peasants of Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar District against proposed Nirma
plant, citizens of Baroda under the banner of Lok- Andolan- Gujarat submitted memorandum
to Governor through Vadodara District collector today. The delegation ofShri. Dhiru Mistry,
Dankesh Oza, Prafful Desai, Tapan Dasgupta, Chandrakantbhai, Bharatiben Parmar, Renu
Rajput, Poonambhai Vagehla and Mukesh Semwal. The delegation met RDC Mr. Saraviya and
appraised about situation. Shri Dankesh Oza said that in support of democratic and peaceful
movement of these peasants, today everywhere in Gujarat is observed as Mahuva solidarity Day.
Before submitting memorandum , with placards and posters all shouted slogans in support of
Mahuva movement.

In Surat delegation of citizens like Prof. Babubhai Desai, Former Vice-Principal, KP college, Dr.
Kishorebhai Desai, Retired Principal of Bhavans College ( Ahmedabad ), Advocate Shri
Natubhai Patel, Shri Satyendra Singh, Shri. Bhikhabhai Prajapati, Shri Ram Bharat Maurya, Shri
Prayagraj Maurya and others submitted memo to Deputy Collector Mr. Vohra.
In Ahwa- Dang also a delegation led by Shri Laxman Bagul. Advocate Shri Bharat Bhoi, Shri
Raghu Bagul submitted memorandum to Dang collector Mr. Girish Shah
In Bhavnagar and Mahuva, Black Day was observed in the presence of Shri Sanatbhai Mehta. In
Rajkot, the Black Day was observed by Saurashtra Lok Samiti in which a Demonstration was
staged at Dhebar Chowk and a Memorandum was submitted to the District Collector. The
deputation was led by Shri Anniruddhbhai J adeja
COMPLILED by Bhavik Raja from Nirikshak, Newspapers, News letters etc.
Mob. No-09428411065