Undemocratic, says tribal rights group as Gujarat govt disallows rally in Ahmedabad

A 2019 tribal show of strength in Ahmedabad

By A Representative

The Gujarat government has refused permission to the Ekalavya Sangathan for a tribal rally in Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Riverfront stating that it would "obstruct traffic". A Gujarat police letter to the tribal rights group claimed, the decision not to allow the rally has been taken following "negative opinion" to hold the convention.
"The Gujarat government and the Gujarat Police have behaved in an undemocratic and unconstitutional manner by not allowing the tribal rally to be held in Riverfront East at Ahmedabad on Thursday May 05, 2022", said Paulomee Mistry, who leads the Ekalavya Sangathan.
Mistry said, "The implementation of Forest Rights Act, MGNREGA and Food Security Act have been extremely lame in Gujarat. So the poor and unemployed tribals of the state wanted to gather in more than 10000 numbers to demand employment, food and land rights. The police have exposed their dictatorial mindset by not allowing tribals to hold conventions and peaceful rallies."
She wondered, "When the government claims that it has done a lot of welfare work for the tribals by giving advertisements worth crores of rupees, where is the justice in tribals of the state not being allowed to represent the details of development in the public interest?"
"Can only political leaders organise rallies?", Mistry asked, adding, "Doesn't the tribal community have a right to have their say? What kind of democracy is this? We had applied for permission for the last one month to the police and the officials of the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner."
She warned, "The answer to this will be given by the tribal community in the coming elections."

Comments

Designing the edge, erasing the river: Sabarmati Riverfront and the dissonance between ecology and planning

By Mansee Bal Bhargava, Parth Patel Across India, old black-and-white images of the Sabarmati River are often juxtaposed with vibrant photos of the modern Sabarmati Riverfront. This visual contrast is frequently showcased as a model of development, with the Sabarmati Riverfront serving as a blueprint for over a hundred proposed riverfront projects nationwide. These images are used to forge an implicit public consensus on a singular idea of development—shifting from a messy, evolving relationship between land and water to a rigid, one-time design intervention. The notion of regulating the unregulated has been deeply embedded into public consciousness—especially among city makers, planners, and designers. Urban rivers across India are undergoing a dramatic transformation, not only in terms of their land-water composition but in the very way we understand and define them. Here, we focus on one critical aspect of that transformation: the river’s edge.

Relevance of historical foot marches like Dandi and Salt march in achieving developmental goals in India

By Bharat Dogra India has a great tradition of organizing foot marches, including some which become historically very important, the most obvious example being the Dandi Salt March under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi which is a very important chapter in the freedom movement of India.

Ecological alarm over pumped storage projects in Western Ghats: Policy analyst writes to PM

By A Representative In a detailed letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, energy and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma has raised grave concerns over the escalating approval and construction of Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) across India’s ecologically fragile river valleys. He has warned that these projects, if pursued unchecked, could result in irreparable damage to the country’s riverine ecology, biodiversity hotspots, and forest wealth—particularly in the Western Ghats.

FSSAI defies Supreme Court order on food warning labels, citing 'trade secrets' for withholding vital information

By A Representative India’s food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is facing strong criticism for deliberately delaying the implementation of crucial warning labels on High Fat, Sugar, and Salt (HFSS) food products. This comes despite a clear Supreme Court order on April 9, 2025, which mandated the completion of the "entire exercise" within three months. Adding to the controversy, the FSSAI is reportedly hiding expert reports and over 14,000 public comments under the pretext of "trade secrets."

Bridge collapse near Vadodara fuels demand for urgent repairs in Amreli

By A Representative The tragic collapse of a bridge near Vadodara, which claimed more than 10 lives, has intensified calls from social workers for immediate repairs to a dilapidated and dangerous bridge on the Amreli-Rajkot highway in Amreli district.

Massive national strike on July 9: Trade unions claim participation of over 250 million workers and farmers

By A Representative A nationwide general strike called by a joint platform of central trade unions and sectoral federations claimed participation by more than 25 crore (250 million) workers, farmers, and agri-labourers across India. The strike, protests, and related blockades—popularly known as Rasta Roko and Rail Roko—affected both formal and informal sectors and saw significant mobilization in rural and urban areas alike.

Top civil rights leader announces plan to lead delegation to Pakistan amidst post-war tensions

By A Representative In a significant move, well-known academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey has announced the plan to send a 22-member delegation to Pakistan to engage in dialogue with its government and civil society. The delegation proposed to go to Pakistan under the banner of Socialist Party (India) as a fact-finding mission to help seek solution to continuing tensions between the two countries over the fallout of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Civil rights coalition condemns alleged abduction of activist Samrat Singh by Delhi police

By A Representative The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), a collective of civil and democratic rights organisations, has strongly condemned what it describes as the illegal abduction of psychologist and social activist Samrat Singh by a team of Delhi Police officials. The incident occurred on the evening of July 12, 2025, at Singh’s residence in Yamunanagar, Haryana.

Remarks by visiting speaker in Dallas stir controversy; police complaint filed

By A Representative A speech delivered at a Hindu community event in Dallas has sparked criticism and led to a police complaint, after the speaker reportedly called for a boycott of Muslim businesses in the area.

Search This Blog