GANDHIAN...

“The transparent favouritism provoked the villagers led by DGSS, to threaten to hug the trees and prevent them from being felled by Symond’s agents.”

But the root cause of the movement was the reckless cutting of trees in the 1970s in the upper reaches of now Uttarakhand by timber merchants. From Raini village, the movement spread to several other villages as women hugged trees to protect them. Bahuguna gave a national voice to the movement, and wrote a letter to then PM Indira Gandhi.

Bahuguna with other activists such as Shekhar Pathak and Chandi Prasad Bhatt started a statewide campaign to protect the forests and people’s livelihood. “He was able to give direction and words to people’s sentiments in the hills. He understood their pain. Nobody could match his dedication to the Himon alayas,” Pathak said.

Rajendra Singh, water conservationist and founder of Tarun Bharat Sangh, said Bahuguna took the Chipko movement, started by Gaura Devi and other women from Raini village, into global spotlight. Guha summed the movement by quoting a peasant of Badyagarh on the Chipko movement: “We got only little food from our fields; when we could not get wood to cook even this paltry amount, we had to resort to a movement.”

Bahuguna also opposed the construction of the Tehri Dam by fasting for 75 days, and was able to convince the authorities to reduce the dam height, thereby saving hundreds of trees. He broke his fast at the insistence of then PM HD Deve Gowda.

Remembering Bahuguna, Ravi Chopra, director, People’s Science Institute, said: “At this time when all environmental regulation and caution has been abandoned by those in power, Bahuguna ji’s voice was a great encouragement to those struggling on behalf of the environment. His passing is a step back for environmental struggles.”

Bahuguna’s tireless dedication and perseverance paved the way for those who came after -and inspired by him, many did.

“My life’s vision was shaped by Bahuguna ji. I have been working with him since the 1960s. In 1974, I joined him on the Asakot Arakot padyatra. He has taught many of us the way of life. How can I sum him up in a few words? In a way he instilled the will power to fight in all of us who worked with him -- the fight to protect our forests.,” said Vijay Jhardhari (69), Chipko movement member and founder of Beej Bachao Andolan.

“The environmentalism we talk of today, Bahuguna ji represented and upheld that a generation ahead,” said Medha Patkar, rights activist and founding member of Narmada Bachao Andolan.

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“So far, 15 bodies have been recovered from the site and a search is underway,” Patil added.

It is believed that all the rebels killed in the encounter belonged to Kasansur dalam (squad). According to the district police, divisional committee member of the Maoists, Satish Mohanda, who was carrying a reward of ₹16 lakh on his head, was among the deceased. Deputy commander of Kasansur dalam, Rupesh Gawde, was also reportedly killed in the gun battle.

District police superintendent Ankit Goyal said several armed Maoists escaped with a few bodies of their colleagues.

Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil praised the police for the operation.