Citizens had gathered at Aarey Birsa Munda Chowk since Thursday evening as illegal tree felling inside the car shed plot continued. They protested the tree cutting late until midnight battling all odds guarding our forest. They are soldiers in the true sense fighting for maintaining the sovereignty of our forests, thereby safeguarding tribal rights and protecting biodiversity.
But Mumbai police believe them they are criminals and filed FIR against them. Somnath Gharge, DCP Zone 12, said that the first FIR was registered against three persons, who allegedly tried to enter the carshed area forcibly. While the second case was registered against 16 people for protesting last night. He also added that no arrests have been made so far.
There is a blatant violation of the fundamental right to protest peacefully. In our country, perpetrators of crime are those who are saving a forest and not the ones who are destroying it. The nexus between rich real estate lobby and politicians for a multi-crore scam at Aarey and Kanjurmarg is legal but the protest by common citizens is illegal.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today was supposed to hear the plea challenging the cutting of trees in Aarey today for the construction of a Metro car shed. But the hearing has been postponed by two days. A Bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant on Thursday had agreed to hear the petition when senior advocate Gopal Shankarnarayanan mentioned the matter, stressing that the felling of trees was on overnight despite an earlier stay ordered by the top court.
“We have photographs," the lawyer said, urging an immediate hearing on Friday since the JCB machines would be otherwise deployed over the weekend. He said the matter was mentioned by him before the Chief Justice of India, who directed him to this bench. He was referring to a 2019 suo motu order by the top court, taking cognizance of a letter petition to the CJI by law student Rishav Ranjan, restraining any more cutting of trees in Aarey Colony after submission by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on behalf of the Maharashtra Government that no further trees will be cut.
Police should book the government that is violating the Supreme Court orders. Instead, today police picked up a senior citizen today at 3pm who had come to participate in the Save Aarey protest. The Mumbai police have started issuing CrPC notices under section 149 to some of the activists in order to discourage the public from the unlawful assembly. There is continuous harassment of activists, citizens, and all those involved in Saving Aarey to demotivate the movement. But with all your support and prayers, we shall strive to save the last remaining green lungs of Mumbai from destruction.