Aarey: Citizens join hands to free protesters of criminal charges

In a bid to pressure the police into withdrawing charges against the 29 protesters who were arrested on October 5 after a scuffle broke out at the Metro III car shed site during a protest against the cutting of trees, a group of citizens has started an online signature campaign. Till now more than 2,000 people have signed a letter, which has been written in support of the cause and uploaded online. The signatures would be sent to the commissioner of police before the end of this week.

After the Bombay High Court dismissed four petitions filed by NGOs and activists challenging the decision to allow cutting of trees in the city's green lung, the authorities concerned had sprung into action and started hacking trees in the wee hours of October 4.

Hundreds of citizens had gathered at the spot to protest against the action, which continued till the next day. Following a minor scuffle between the protesters and cops, the latter had arrested 29 citizens and detained a number of them. This move has met with serious criticism from citizens, who now want the charges to be withdrawn. As part of the campaign they have started sharing WhatsApp messages of the letter's link so that more and more people can sign it.

Explaining the ordeal faced by those who were arrested, the letter states, "When they were detained at the police station for the entire night, they were not told that charges were being framed against them and were also not given the rights of a detainee. The charges are baseless and false. These innocent protestors will have to fight an unnecessary court case for no fault of theirs. Those who have been charged are civilians and responsible citizens of the country, and do not in any manner pose a threat to society."

It also mentions, "We request you to urgently intervene in the matter and ensure that the charges filed against the 29 citizens, five of whom are women and most of whom are young students, are dropped and the criminal complaints filed by the police are withdrawn."

Speaking to mid-day, Radhika Jhaveri, an activist who is part of the Save Aarey movement, said, "The campaign has been started by a group of citizens who are extremely upset about the way the arrests took place. They want to appeal to the CP to take back the case. The letter along with the signatures is likely to be submitted before the end of this week."

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