Students of Salsabeel Green School, Kiraloor, Thrissur, who participated in the Rally for the Valley agitation organised by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) were on Wednesday allegedly tortured by the Gujarat Police.
“They dragged our students to a police van and later threw them on to the road. Students sustained injuries on hands and legs. They did not provide medical aid to the students till night,” said school Principal Sainabha, who accompanied the students. Seven students, three girls and four boys, from the school and two former students participated in the agitation organised in connection with World Environmental Day.
Rally from Indore
Students from various parts of the county participated in the rally taken out from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, to express solidarity with more than 40,000 Adivasis who had been evicted from the Narmada valley for the Narmada dam. The rally was planned to the villages that were bearing the brunt of the dam.
“It was a peaceful rally. The rally, led by Medha Patkar, Prafulla Samanthara, and other activists, was stopped at the check-post at Chhota Udaipur district in Gujarat. The officials there asked the protesters to go back,” said the Principal.
Police action
When 200-odd protesters resisted, the police took the agitators, including children, into custody. They dragged the children to the van, Ms. Sainabha said.
“When I told them that they can’t take the students in a vehicle without me, they did not pay heed. They took me and some other protesters in another vehicle. Later, we found the children on a deserted stretch of the road. They said the police threw them to the road and left.”
The students have lodged a complaint at the Nanpur police station in Gujarat against police harassment.
