TIMES OF INDIA: 08-01-2010
Suchandana Gupta/TNNBhopal:
Tribals angry with activists fighting for human rights of Naxalites, while ignoring poor adivasis – threw rotten eggs and tomatoes at Magsaysay award winner Medha Patkar and Sandeep Pandey as they reached Dantewada town in Chattisgarh on Wednesday.While Patkar, being a woman, did not face much humiliation, her companion Pandey was pulled down from a motorcycle and given a hiding. He was pushed around and asked why activists had done nothing for the tribals, but found cause to support Maoists.Patkar, who leads the Narmada Bachao Andolan, and Pandey, who founded Asha for education, were on their way to participate in a jan sunwai (people’s court) in the Naxalite-hit areas on Thursday.Patkar and Pandey were on a bike when the tribals carrying banners of “Maa Danteswari Adivasi Swabhiman Manch” surrounded them asking them to go back.Shouting slogans like “Wapas jao, wapas jao (Go back), the tribals said NGOs “support Maoists under the pretext of human rights”.Police resorted to lathicharge to rescue Patkar and Pandey. Dantewada SP Ambreesh Mishra, however, said the two should have been more careful…………..
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