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Over 250 Activists, Rights Groups Seek Immediate Release of 6 ‘Environmental Defenders’ in J&K

The six social and environmental activists, who were questioning the socio-environmental impacts of large projects and solid waste management in J&K, have been held under the Public Safety Act.
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Image Credit: Countercurrents.org

New Delhi: Over 250 social and environmental activists have issued an appeal seeking immediate release and withdrawal of cases against the detention of six activists in Jammu and Kashmir under the Public Safety Act (PSA). The activists had been “raising pertinent issues regarding socio-environmental impacts of large projects as well as solid waste management,” said a statement released by the National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) and endorsed by over 250 signatories.

 

The detained social and environmental activists are Mohammad Abdullah Gujjar (resident of Sigdi Bhata), Noor Din (resident of Kakerwagan), Ghulam Nabi Choppan (resident of Trungi – Dachhan), Mohammad Jaffer Sheikh (resident of Nattas, Dool), Mohammad Ramzan (resident of Dangduroo – Dachhan), all trade union leaders from Kishtwar district and Rehamatullah from Doda District.

“We are of the earnest view that the detention of these activists who have only been advocating for the protection of local ecosystems, people’s democratic rights and truly sustainable development, undermine the right to hold authorities accountable, the right to peaceful protest and community involvement in decision making processes,” read the statement, adding that “the criminalization of activism in Jammu and Kashmir, exemplified by laws such as the Public Safety Act (PSA), has systematically suppressed local voices.”

The signatories include Roop Rekha Verma, Rama Teltumbde, Soumya Dutta, Manoranjan Mohanty, Uma Chakravarti, Lalita Ramdas, Kavita Srivastava, Indira Unninayar, Sandeep Pandey, Elina Horo, Mayalmit Lepcha, Himanshu Thakkar, Anuradha Bhasin, Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, Anmol Ohri, Mohd Ishak, Shamsul Islam, Arun Khote, Anand Patwardhan, John Dayal, Dunu Roy, Nandita Narrain, Raja Muzaffar Bhatt, Prafulla Samantara, Cedric Prakash among others:

 

Read the full statement below:

 

Statement by 250 activists and organizations from across India

Stop Arbitrary Detentions and Intimidation of Social & Environmental Activists in Jammu & Kashmir Save Ecology & Uphold Democratic Rights in J&K and entire Himalayan Region

Release all detained activists immediately: Withdraw arbitrary cases

13th Nov, 2024: National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), along with other people’s organizations and concerned citizens from across India strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of social and environmental activists in Jammu & Kashmir under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Those detained under the provisions of J&K Public Safety Act, 1978, include Mohammad Abdullah Gujjar (resident of Sigdi Bhata), Noor Din (resident of Kakerwagan), Ghulam Nabi Choppan (resident of Trungi – Dachhan), Mohammad Jaffer Sheikh (resident of Nattas, Dool) and Mohammad Ramzan (resident of Dangduroo – Dachhan), trade union leaders from Kishtwar district.

The authorities claim that these persons were attempting to ‘obstruct projects of national importance’. However, according to local sources and social media posts of activists and journalists from the Chenab Valley, the detained activists were voicing several specific concerns about the hydropower projects including infrastructure-related impacts and damages, environmental violations, denial of compensation and rehabilitation etc. They also alleged that local houses and properties suffered severe damage due to project-related blasting and that construction work reportedly caused ‘structural integrity issues’ in nearby buildings. It is learnt that 22 other persons have been placed under state ‘surveillance’ and we fear that they may also be subject to arbitrary detention or arrests.

It has also been reported that another young climate activist Rehamatullah (25), from Dessa Bhatta of Doda (J&K), who has been vocal about environmental issues and was actively uncovering a solid waste management scam, has been detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA). His work exposed the alleged misuse of funds and negligence in managing local waste, affecting public health and the environment. These detentions have raised concerns among local communities and environmental organizations, who view it as a suppression of environmental activism and transparency efforts.

We are of the earnest view that the detention of these activists who have only been advocating for the protection of local ecosystems, people’s democratic rights and truly sustainable development, undermine the right to hold authorities accountable, the right to peaceful protest and community involvement in decision making processes. It also represents a troubling misuse of power and a suppression of fundamental rights, which should alarm every citizen who believes in democracy and justice.

The criminalization of activism in Jammu and Kashmir, exemplified by laws such as the Public Safety Act (PSA), has systematically suppressed local voices. We must unite in support of activists, including climate justice activists, and support their well-meaning advocacy efforts in J&K. It is imperative that the new government that has been voted to power in J&K with expectations that at least some democratic rights would be upheld, must live up to this popular mandate. Even as issues and subjects of federal rights are divided between the Centre and J&K, we expect the Lieutenant Governor and the Central Government to act responsibly and refrain from high-handed interventions, as people on the ground voice legitimate concerns in a peaceful way.

It must be emphasized that popular opposition to hydro-power and mega infrastructure is not isolated to the region of Jammu & Kashmir, but is seen across the Himalayan states, given the environmental and socio-economic threats these projects pose to the region at large. Thus, clamping down on ecological movements in the region only hampers the much-needed struggle to combat climate crisis.

NAPM strongly asserts that socio-ecological justice activism and the act of raising legitimate concerns should not be mis-labelled as “anti-national.”  Attempts to silence dissent by branding it as “anti-national” weaken the foundations of democratic governance and hinder constructive dialogue on pressing social issues.

We call for the immediate and unconditional release all detainees and demand that the PSA, other charges against them be withdrawn. Activism and dissent are essential components of a healthy democracy, and they should be respected rather than criminalized. The authorities must instead impartially inquire into the allegations of corruption, ensure participatory socio-environmental impact assessments and prioritize ecological justice. As the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference kickstarts at Baku (COP29), we hope necessary attention would be paid to environmental defenders back home, safeguarding ecology at great risk. 

List of Signatories

Sl. No.

Name

Organization / Profession

Location

 

Hananya AS

Student

Mumbai, Maharashtra

 

Paran Amitava

Researcher

Ranchi, Jharkhand

 

Meera Sanghamitra

Social Activist, NAPM

Hyderabad

 

AVS Krishna Chaitanya

Software Engineer

Hyderabad

 

Mahnoor

Drama therapist

Hyderabad/Telangana

 

Heman

Researcher

Ahmedabad

 

Nikita Naidu

Climate Action Consultant

Hyderabad, Telangana

 

Anannya

PhD scholar

New Delhi

 

Kavita Srivastava

PUCL

Jaipur/ Rajasthan

 

Tannuja Chauhan

Visual Artist

New Delhi

 

John Michael

NAPM National Urban Struggles Forum

Hyderabad

 

Annapurna Menon

Lecturer

Jaipur, Rajasthan

 

Yash Agrawal

Fridays For Future Mumbai

Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

 

Elina Horo

Adivasi Women’s Network

Ranchi, Jharkhand

 

Natasha Pereira

Self-employed

Mumbai

 

Saravanan V

PhD Student, JNU

New Delhi

 

Sabique Hasan Ahmed

Greenkeepers/Student

Guwahati, Assam

 

Bhumi

Student

Shimla

 

Aditya Partap Singh

Student

New Delhi

 

Habiburrahman

Accounts

Chennai

 

Mayalmit lepcha

Affected citizens of Teesta

Sikkim

 

Sara

Professor

Tamil Nadu

 

Kailash Mina

Napm

Neemkathana Rajasthan

 

Arundhati Dhuru

NAPM

Lucknow UP

 

Dr Sandeep Pandey

Socialist Party (India)

U P

 

Manshi Asher

Himdhara Collective

Himachal Pradesh

 

Nikita Jain

Journalist

Delhi

 

Nishant Bangera

Muse Foundation

Mumbai

 

Oindrila

Climate Advocate

Visakhapatnam

 

Varshith.M

Student

Andhra Pradesh

 

Seema khaleel

Conservationist

Karnataka

 

Mohammad Ishak

Social Worker

Uttarakhand

 

Rakesh Shivaji Gholap

Social worker

Thane ,/ Maharashtra

 

Ramnarayan

Ecologist

Uttarakhand

 

Shreyas Pande

Journalist

Mumbai

 

Koninika Ray

National Federation of Indian Women

New Delhi

 

Syed Juneed ul Haq Andrabi

NAPM J&K

Shopian

 

Roop Rekha Verma

Individual

Lucknow

 

Kumar Mukesh

Social Activist

Kaithal/Haryana

 

Shubham Kothari

JHSS/Activist

Mumbai/Maharashtra

 

sanjana

Consultant

Maharashtra

 

Ankita Marwaha

Social campaigner

New Delhi

 

Nisha Biswas

Scientist

Kolkata

 

Rahee S G

Student

Pune/ Delhi

 

Roopashri Sinha

Freelance researcher

Maharashtra

 

Dr Vijay Rukmini Rao

Development

Nalgonda, Telangana

 

Sujata Patel

Teacher and Researcher

Maharashtra

 

Chakri

Samalochana

Anakapalle

 

Sanober Keshwaar

Retired law lecturer

Mm

 

Rosamma Thomas

Freelancer

Pala town, Kerala

 

Deepa

Gender Consultant

Bhopal/Madhya Pradesh

 

Osama Rawal

Students

Thane/ Maharashtra

 

Sagari Ramdas

Food Sovereignty Alliance, India

Hyderabad, Telangana

 

Shamsul Islam

Former faculty Delhi University

NCR

 

Neelima Sharma

Street theatre

NCR

 

Ambika Tandon

PhD student

Delhi

 

anamik shah

Professor

Rajkot/Gujarat

 

ARUN KHOTE

Justice News

Lucknow

 

Ashish

Advocate

Telangana

 

Indira

Public Health

Delhi

 

Frazer Mascarenhas

Academic Administrator

Mumbai

 

sharmila

academic, IITB

Mumbai, Maharashtra

 

Suhas Kolhekar

National Alliance of People’s Movements

Pune

 

P. Rohini Rajasekaran

Multi-disciplinary Artist

Bengaluru

 

Youth For Himalaya

Youth For Himalaya

India

 

Sandeep Pandey

Socialist Party (India)

Lucknow

 

Shehbaz

Student activist

Mumbai

 

Ayaskant Das

Independent Journalist

Delhi

 

Ayaz Niyaz Ahmad

Fatima shaikh study circle

Thane, Maharashtra

 

Vidya Dinker

INSAF

Mangalore

 

Pervin Jehangir

Social Work

Mumbai

 

Madhuri

social activist

Madhya Pradesh

 

Rohin Kumar

Journalist

Delhi

 

Nina Verma

NA

Mumbai

 

Pritam

Student

Aasssm

 

Harpuneet Kaur

PFUS

Chandigarh, Punjab

 

Shiva Shankar

Professor, retired

Chennai

 

Alok Ranjan

Climate campaigner

New Delhi

 

Freny Manecksha

Independent journalist

Thane Maharashtra

 

Kaneez Fathima

Civil Rights Activist

Telangana

 

Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan

Editor, The Milli Gazette

New Delhi

 

Amir Rizvi

Designer

Mumbai

 

Anand Patwardhan

None

Mumbai

 

M A Lateef Atear

Secretary

Hyderabad

 

Shalini Dhawan

Designer

Mumbai

 

Dunu Roy

Hazards Centre

New Delhi/Delhi

 

Rama Teltumbde

Mumbai/ Maharashtra

 

Sayed safiulla

Working

Karnataka

 

K. Sajaya

Women & Transgender Orgs JAC

Hyderabad/ Telangana

 

Rita Manchanda

Independent Researcher and Writer

Delhi

 

Uma Shankari

Farmer, Citizen

Hyderabad, Telangana

 

Vijayasingh Ronald David

Coorg Organisation for Rural Development

Kushalnagar

 

Yusuf Shaikh

Retired

Karad

 

Kamayani

Trainer Gender , Health and Human Rights

Mumbai

 

Manvar Sunil

Activist

Pune

 

Rahul Varman

Academic

Kanpur, UP

 

Sadia Sohail

NGO

Delhi

 

Muhmina

Lawyer

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

 

Nandita Narain

Democratic Teachers’ Front, Delhi University

Delhi

 

Dr Lubna Sarwath

Member, Indian National Congress, Hyderabad

Hyderabad

 

Prafulla Samantara

Lok Shakti Abhiyan

Bhubaneswar, Odisha

 

Aruna

Retired

Pune Maharashtra

 

Himanshu Thakkar

SANDRP

Delhi

 

Arunyajyothi

Student

Telangana

 

Sujata Madhok

None

Delhi

 

Arunyajyothi

Student

Telangana

 

Bittu K R

WSS

Sonipat, Haryana

 

Sharanya Nayak

Indigenous Peoples’ Land Life and Knowledge Collective

Koraput, Odisha

 

John Dayal

Writer

Delhi

 

Padmaja Shaw

Rtd Professor

Hyderabad

 

Abdul Majid Attar

Kashmir Conservancy Movement

Kashmir

 

Zeeshan Ahmed

Business

Mumbai

 

Aagnay

Self employed

Bhimtal, Uttarakhand

 

Devi

Activist

Hyderabad

 

Prasad Chacko

Social Worker

Ahmedabad

 

Barnali Mukherjee

Activist

Kolkata

 

Roshni Mukherjee

Officer in a University

West Bengal

 

Jacques Gelineau

Fondation rivières

Sept-Îles , Canada

 

Mohammad Chappalwala

Sambhaavnaa Institute

Palampur/ Himachal Pradesh

 

Shruthi

Educator

Bengaluru

 

Maithreyi M R

freelance professional editor

Mumbai

 

Nupur Jain

PhD student

Maharashtra

 

Basudev Banerjee

Social activist

West Bengal..

 

Banhi Chakraborty

Ex-teacher, IIT, Kharagpur, West Bengal

Kolkata, West Bengal

 

Dr Shaikh Ghulam Rasool

J&K RTI Movement

Srinagar

 

Hasan Abdullah

Research

Delhi

 

Kavita Upadhyay

Independent journalist and researcher

Nainital, Uttarakhand

 

Suryanshu

Student

Vellore, Tamil Nadu

 

Disha Ravi

Fridays For Future India

Bangalore, Karnataka

 

Priya Pillai

Researcher

Thrissur

 

Yashasva Bhatia

Student

Delhi

 

Sumanta Banerjee

Political commentator

Hyderabad/Telangana

 

Laxman Gurung

Himalayan Alliance for Water and Agriculture HAWA

Kathmandu

 

Prabhakaran

Poovulagin Nanbargal

Chennai, Tamilnadu

 

Aanchal

Communication

Pune

 

Sandhya Gokhale

Forum Against Oppression of Women

Mumbai

 

Hasina khan , Biraj Mehta, Maivish, Gulshaad

Bebaak Collective

Maharashtra

 

Meghaa S

Consultant

Chennai

 

Ashok Choudhary

Aiufwp

Saharanpur, UP

 

Mandakini

Lawyer

Hyderabad

 

Joseph Maliakan

Veteran Journalist

Delhi

 

Sundarrajan

Environment activist

Chennai

 

Dr. Sheetal Kamble

TASHI Organization

Thane Maharashtra

 

Dr Vikas Bajpai

JNU

Delhi

 

Shankar

Activist

Dehradun

 

Soham

social media manager

Delhi

 

Spalzes Angmo

Project coordinator

Leh

 

Firoz

School Teacher 

DELHI

 

Mr Soumya Dutta

MAUSAM / Author-Educator-Researcher

Delhi

 

Tanisha Negi

Self employed

Himachal Pradesh

 

Kopal

Let India Breathe

Ghaziabad

 

AA

NA

Tamil nadu

 

Daniel Jose

Climate Front India

Kochi

 

Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat

Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement , Coalition of Climate Activists J&K

Jammu & Kashmir

 

Raksha Awasya

Lawyer

Delhi

 

Neelam Ahluwalia Nakra

People for Aravallis group

Haryana

 

Anjali

Activist

Maharashtra

 

Geeta sahu

Individual

Belgaum

 

Yugma Collective

Youth Organisation

Maharashtra

 

Rajesh Desai

Environment Movement

Maharashtra

 

Deepthi Sirla

NAPM

Hyderabad

 

Ashish Kajla

Independent Researcher

Rajasthan

 

Cedric Prakash

Human Rights Reconciliation & Peace Activist/Writer

Ahmedabad / Gujarat

 

Bhawna Tanwar

There Is No Earth B

New Delhi

 

Saksham Bisen

Software Engineer

Chhattisgarh

 

Piyush Kumar

Artist

New Delhi

 

Sameer

Journalist

Kashmir

 

SUMAN TVVM

FREELANCER

VISAKHAPATNAM/ ANDHRA PRADESH

 

Abhinandan Nath

Canara International School Life Skills Coach

Karnataka Mangalore

 

Hasina khan

Researcher activist

Maharashtra

 

Bhim

Independent

Delhi

 

Vikas Jain

Naturalist

Pali Rajasthan

 

Dr

Doctor

Pondicherry

 

Saroj

Teacher

Gurgaon, Haryana

 

Vikas Singh

Azim Premji University

Kota Rajasthan

 

Nilima Kallara

Salaried

Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

 

Smita Hemlata

BJA/Freelancer

Pune/Maharashtra

 

Kashif jubapu

Friday for further Karnataka

Karnataka

 

Rupa Chinai

Independent journalist

Mumbai

 

Sarang V. Yadwadkar

Architect

Pune, Maharashtra

 

Vertika Mani

Lawyer, PUCL Delhi

Delhi

 

Kailash Anerao

Chartered Accountant

Thane

 

Aurobindo

MANAVSEVA

NCT DELHI

 

Nayana

Researcher

Bengaluru, Karnataka

 

Moncy M Thomas

Library

Kerala

 

Sandhya Raju

Ccrra

Kerala

 

Bhaskar Chakraborty

Creative Work

Mumbai

 

Vinay Kooragayala Sreenivasa

Advocate

Karnataka

 

People For Himalaya

People For Himalaya

India

 

Suchitra Mathur

Teacher

Kanpur, UP

 

Naveen Solanki

Other

Delhi

 

Affan Alig

Journalist

New Delhi

 

Dr. Mohd Raffique

Socio-political Activist

Nuh, Haryana

 

Ekta

Climate activist

Uttar pradesh

 

Mohan

Climate front – Vishakhapatnam

Andhra pradesh

 

Apoorv Grover

Ophthalmologist/ Doctor

New Delhi

 

Kavita

Banker

Himachal Pradesh

 

Sushma

Wildpaw Adventures

Mumbai

 

Amrita Shodhan

Teacher

Ahmedabad

 

Chythenyen

Researcher

Tamil Nadu

 

Shridevi Kotkar

Advocate

Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

 

Bharat Bhushan

Earth Army Foundation

Rohtak

 

Dar Naseer

Wular Fisherman union organizer

Jammu Kashmir

 

Lakshmi Krishnamurty

Social anthropologist (retd)

Karnataka

 

Mukesh

Teacher

Mumbai

 

Anmol Ohri

Climate Front – Jammu

Jammu, J&K

 

Ruchith Asha Kamal

Climate Front Hyderabad

Hyderabad / Telangana

 

Raina Roy

Samabhabona

Kolkata

 

Soumita

Student

Visakhapatnam

 

Rupa

FFF

Mumbai

 

Gabriele Dietrich

Pennurimai Iyakkam

Madurai

 

Ishika

Delhi University

Delhi

 

Radhika Deonalli

Freelancer

Mumbai/Maharashtra

 

Manoranjan Mohanty

Retired Professor Delhi University

Delhi

 

Parimala

FITE

Chennai, Tamilnadu

 

Tara Mutali

Individual

Chennai, Tamil Nadu

 

Yash

Let India Breathe

India

 

Priyansh

Right To Food Campaign

Delhi

 

Reema

Concerned Citizen

Mumbai, Maharashtra

 

Nagal

Principal Accountant General TN and Kerala Office of CAG of India

Chennai

 

Pratap Raval

Retired professor

Maharashtra

 

Bhanu Tatak

Dibang resistance

Arunachal Pradesh

 

Aastha Rai

Student

Gorakhpur/UP

 

Pia

Jan Haq Sangharsh Samiti

Mumbai

 

Indira Unninayar

Advocate – Supreme Court and Delhi High Court

Delhi/Gurgaon/NCR

 

N D Pancholi

PUCL

Ghaziabad, UP

 

Uma Chakravarti

Retired teacher.

Delhi

 

Mandar

Farmer

Maharashtra

 

Lalita Ramdas

LARA – Ramu Farm

Alibag, Maharashtra

 

Atreyi

Research Scientist

Kolkata

 

Deshmukh Sareem Kalim

Electrician

Majalgaon

 

Harcharan Singh Chahal

Retired Bank officer

Barnala

 

George Sorger

Retired  Professor

Ottawa, Canada

 

C.Elumalai

Rural People`s SangamT

Tamilnadu

 

Ebo Mili

North east human rights

Arunachal Pradesh

 

Gabriele Dietrich

Pennurimai Iyakkam

Madurai

 

Amitraj Deshmukh

NAPM

Pune

 

V. Saldanha

Feminist Activist

Maharashtra

 

Gyanendra Nath Sinha

Retired journalist

Ara, Bihar

 

Paramjit kaur

President IWC

Jammu

 

Neeta Ratwani

Film maker

Mumbai

 

Askari Zaidi

Journalist

Delhi

 

Rajesh Darak

Whistleblowers India

Mumbai

 

Divya Negi

Engineer

HImachal

 

Asha Puri

Teacher

NCR

 

Anchit Thukral

Filmmaker

Delhi

 

Anuradha Bhasin

Stanford University

Palo Alto

 

Josue Aruna

Congo Basin Conservation Society CBCS network

DRC

 

AS Vasantha

WSS

Delhi

 

Sumaiya Islam

BNSK ( A grassroot level women migrant workers Association)

Dhaka-based, Bangladesh

 

Dinesh Malshe

Retired

PUNE / MAHARSHTRA

 

Neeraj Malik

Professor

Noida U. P.

 

Rajendra Babu Arvini

retired from Government service

Hyderabad. Telangana

 

Suresh Tamang

RRN

556661

 

Abha

One Billion Rising international campaign

Dharamshala

 

Humaira

Mental health professional

Mumbai

 

Narendra chugh

JALBIRADARI

Pune, Maharashtra

 

Swati Desai

NAPM

Gujarat

 

There Is No Earth B

There Is No Earth B

Delhi NCR

 

Kartik Jandial

Climate front jammu

Jammu

 

Sushil Khanna

Professor

Professor Retired

 

Prasad Suryawnshi

Engineer

Maharashtra

 

Aditi Mehta

Retired

Udaipur, Rajasthan

Courtesy: Countercurrents.org

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