29 arrested over protest against cutting of trees for car shed in Mumbai
A row over the cutting of trees at Aarey Milk Colony in the suburbs of Mumbai, one of the city’s few green lungs, escalated on Saturday when the police arrested 29 protesters and detained around 100 others after they stormed the site of the Metro-3 car shed project for which the trees are being felled.
The police also imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, banning the assembly of more than four people, in Aarey to “maintain law and order” and blocked all three entry points to the area – Goregaon, Powai and Marol.
Green activists, meanwhile, suffered a second blow in as many days when the Bombay high court on Saturday refused to stay the felling of trees at Aarey. The activists had sought a week’s stay so that they can approach the Supreme Court.
The drama began on Friday evening as the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which is building the Metro-3 car shed, began cutting trees at Aarey after the Bombay high court earlier in the day upheld the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) tree authority’s approval for the axing of 2,646 trees.
As word spread about the tree cutting, local residents and environmental activists gathered at the site around 11pm, forced their way past the barricades and stopped MMRC workers from felling the trees. The police detained around 50 people and work resumed around 3am after the site was cordoned off.
The protesters claimed they had been manhandled by police personnel; the police denied the allegation and said their personnel were injured when the activists clashed with them.
The police on Saturday registered a case under Sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), and 143 and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“The allegations made by some persons of high handedness by Mumbai Police during the Aarey bandobast (security arrangements) are false. All due procedures were followed while handling the situation,” said Pranaya Ashok, deputy commissioner of police (operations).
The 29 arrested protestors were produced before the Borivli metropolitan magistrate’s court, which remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days. Lawyers of the accused filed bail pleas, which will be head on October 7. Most of those who were detained were released on Saturday. Stalin D, director of non-governmental organisation Vanashakti and one of the petitioners, said the activists had been “deeply disappointed” by the turn of events since Friday.
“Doors to the destruction of Aarey have opened since many other projects are in the pipeline. A citizen’s movement to save trees on such a large scale has never happened in the history of Mumbai. Citizens should not be ashamed that they didn’t win, but should see themselves as warriors,” he said.
The BMC and MMRC defended the tree-cutting, saying it was done without breaking any laws or rules.
MMRC managing director Ashwini Bhide, in a series of tweets, said the activists should accept their defeat in the court “honourably”.
“A new false propaganda is in the air that 15 days’ notice is required after tree authority order getting uploaded on website. This is absolutely baseless. Tree authority order is issued on 13th Sept 19. 15 days are over on 28th Sept. Action awaited till Hon HC verdict was out,” she tweeted.
Civic chief Praveen Pardeshi, too, clarified that the stipulated waiting period (15 days) is only from the date of the permission being granted, and not from the date it is put online.
The controversy also took a political turn with the Shiv Sena, partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Maharashtra government, and Opposition parties hitting out at the government and authorities over the tree cutting.