19.04.2015 | http://twocircles.net/2015apr19/1429459196.html
Sonbhadra: A civil society fact finding team, comprising of journalists and rights activists was briefly detained by Uttar Pradesh Police on their way to Kanhar in Sonbhadra district, where tribals protesting against proposed dam were fired upon by police earlier.
They fact finding team comprises of CPI (ML) leader Kavita Krishnan, journalists Siddhant Mohan (TCN), Abhishek Srivastav, Priya Pillai and five others. According to Siddhant, they were detained when they were sitting in Baghdau village and talking to locals over tea. They were taken to Duddhi police station where they were made to sit for over an hour.
Construction of dam in progress
They were harassed and police threatened to arrest them as well. Members of fact finding team latter told over phone that the police also misbehaved with female members and searched their bags, without the presence of female constable.
Fact finding members said over phone that they had given a letter in advance to the District magistrate about their arrival; still they were illegally detained and harassed.
Krishnan latter said that although we have not been arrested but cops clearly have something to hide as they have forced us to leave the village.
About a dozen farmers and several policemen were injured on Saturday when police used force to evict farmers and activists protesting against building of Kanhar dam for the past five days at the dam site in Sonbhadra dictrict.
Protesters have alleged that an unknown number of people were also killed in police firing, whose bodies have been dumped in the river; although there has been no official confirmation on this.
