Mumbai: Green activists get CrPC notices as ‘Save Aarey’ protest goes national – Times of India

MUMBAI: Even as the ‘Save Aarey’ demonstrations were held inside Aarey and across nine states and union territories on Sunday, the Mumbai police have started issuing CrPC notices under section 149 to some of the activists in order to discourage public from unlawful assembly. Undeterred though, the green activists said that they will continue to protest and demand that the state government shift the Metro-3 car shed out of Aarey Colony.
Tabrez Sayed, who was served the CrPC notice along with activist Jayesh Bhise, told TOI: “We take time off our regular work to demonstrate for the cause of Aarey forest. There are still leopards inside the Metro-3 car shed, so we want the government to shift it to Kanjurmarg. By giving us notices under section 149, the police are only trying to scare us so that we remain quiet. However, the Save Aarey protests were held in different parts of the country on Sunday.”
DCP (Zone XII) Somnath Gharge said the police have been issuing notices under the Criminal Procedure Code section 149 (prohibiting unlawful gathering at the protest venue) for the last one month. “The notices are served every Sunday to different people who lead the protest. No FIR has been registered so far nor has there been any arrest as the protest is peaceful. The protestors leave the place after the notice is served,” said Gharge.
Notices were served this Sunday as well to warn the protestors not to assemble unlawfully. Police have barricaded the venue and no one is allowed to go closer to the metro car shed site.
Slogans such as ‘Save Aarey, Save Mumbai!’ and improvised songs from original Hindi numbers, like: ‘Dekho maine dekha hai ek sapna, Aarey ko bachana mission apna… tu aarey aarey aarey, aaja!’ rent the air at Picnic Point, also known as the Birsa Munda Chowk, after the tribal freedom fighter.
Some of the original tribal residents of Aarey Colony were also seen during the demonstration, urging the newly elected President of India, Droupadi Murmu, to help them save the Aarey forest, and also their homes at the 27 adivasi padas (tribal hamlets). Since Murmu is the first tribal President of India, the local adivasis have pinned some hope on her to influence the central and state governments to review the decision of constructing the car shed inside Aarey.
“There is a stay on tree cutting by the Supreme Court; and if the government decides to start constructions in Aarey, it will lead to further destruction of forest. Government must consider alternate locations for the car shed,” said Aarey Conservation Group activist Amrita Bhattacharjee.
Fridays for Future and Climate Front India, besides Aam Aadmi Party and Mumbai Catholic Sabha were among those who demonstrated on Sunday.
Demonstrations were also held in several other cities of country including at Nagpur, Hyderabad, Adilabad, Agra, Gurgaon, Greater Noida, Patna, Jammu, Chandigarh and Ujjain.