Goa anti-mining protesters freed 13 days after bail
Forty-five anti-mining protesters, arrested 13 days ago, were on Friday released from jail after they signed bail papers following intervention by Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane.
The agitators, 23 of them women, are residents of Sonshi village. They were formally released from Colvale Jail.
They were given bail last week but refused to sign the papers necessary for their release unless their demand was met, leading to their continued incarceration. The villagers were protesting against air pollution caused in Sonshi due to iron ore transportation.
“I managed to convince them that their demand will be put before chief minister Manohar Parrikar who would find a solution. Staying behind bars won’t help in addressing the issues raised by them,” Rane told PTI.
The villagers were arrested 13 days back after they forcibly stopped trucks that were carrying iron ore through Sonshi, located 45km from here.
The residents of the rural hamlet were agitated over the unbearable dust pollution caused by transportation of iron ore.
The protest hit headlines after the villagers refused to sign bail papers, while their children walked to local police station demanding release of their parents. “All the protesters signed the bail papers and they were released this evening,” Police Inspector Dipak Pednekar said.
Parrikar had yesterday intervened in the matter and asked the mining firms to reduce pollution in the village.
In signs of thaw on AIADMK merger move, the chief minister K Palaniswami-led faction on Friday announced formation of a committee and rival O Panneerselvam side reciprocated saying its panel would be named soon.
Rajya Sabha MP R Vaithilingam will head the panel set up by Palaniswami and it is likely to include some ministers.
“Considering the welfare of party supporters and people, we are also going to form a committee,” Panneerselvam’s aide KP Munusamy told reporters.
The developments came a day after the talks appeared to have hit a roadblock with the Panneerselvam camp seeking formal expulsion of VK Sasikala and T TV Dhinakaran from the party.
It had also sought a CBI probe into the circumstances leading to former chief minister Jayalalithaa’s death on December 5 last year. Hardening its stance for talks, the OPS camp had also demanded that 30 members of the Sasiskala family be formally expelled from the party.
Meanwhile, former school education minister K Pandiarajan of OPS faction confirmed that the Palaniswami group had contacted them for talks.
Earlier, the AIADMK (Amma) leader and local administration minister SP Velumani had quoted Palaniswami as saying that Vaithilingam, heading the panel, would be at the party office here and “we will join him as and when required.”