’Police went on a rampage against us’

As anti-establishment protests fester in Jaitapur, villagers at the receiving end of police firing last week ask cops to justify their actions against the innocent, including women and children

'Police went on a rampage against us'

As anti-establishment protests fester in Jaitapur, villagers at the receiving end of police firing last week ask cops to justify their u00a0actions against the innocent, including women and children

Last Monday in Jaitapur was evocative of the chaos and violence associated with the Naxal-infested western part of the state. But the village in the south of the state, currently at the centre spot of a raging dispute between its residents and the government over the proposed 9,900-MW nuclear power plant, is on the coastal belt, perceived to be more progressive. So when residents describe how the local police barged into their homes, beat their women and children up, opening fire at the young and old alike, destroying homes and vandalising property, they speak with the angst of a people engaged in fighting state-sponsored violence.

Injured: A bullet pierced Akbar Solkar's left arm

As casualties of the anti-nuclear protest, mostly kids and women, ask police to justify their actionu00a0-- beating up even those who stayed away from the protestu00a0--u00a0 the former sarpanch asks the CM to take the project to his hometown, Karnad. After MiD DAY reported about the villagers, confused and angry, at the death of Tabrez Sayker, "a mere on-looker, killed by a police bullet", on April 20, we decided to visit the villages to find out how intense the anti-government sentiment is there.

Sharim Solkaru00a0was at her mother's place with her 40-day-old daughter,
when the police attacked her house at Nate village.

They were the unjustified target of police aggression, manifested by the use of lathis, stones and gunshots, they would tell you, animated with a belligerence. Most people claim that, like Tabrez, they were not even part of the active protests, and yet they were victimised.

Brutal:u00a0The shards of glass strewn across the floor and two bullets
(circled) were found in her home. Pics/Atul Kamble

Victims' accounts
Sharim Solkar (21) was at her mother's place with her 40-day-old daughter, when the police attacked her house at Nate village. "I couldn't understand what was happening. I saw a few uniformed men barging into the house. They were on a rampage. They had already broken the windowpanes and wanted to attack us. I was feeding my child when they trooped in. I ran and locked my baby and myself in the bathroom. I could hear the gunshots, the glass shattering," she said.

Only after her in-laws came and assured her that they had left did she come out. This reporter visited the house to find shards of glass and matter, strewn across the floor, along with two bullets among them. "It didn't seem like I was home.u00a0 It was like a scene from the movies, where gunshots, riots, everything bad is happening. Our only fault was that we were there. We were not even participating in the protest," said Sharmin.

Residents claim that cops didn't even spare kids and women. Sahara Husme, who lives in the same village, was on her way home from a local hospital when she saw policemen stationed outside her home. "The police forced me to break the lock as I wasn't carrying my house keys. When I couldn't, they broke it with stones. Then they beat me, whipped my leg with sticks and stones. They entered the house and smashed everything. They even threw all the food outside," she said.

"I begged the policemen to leave my home. I told them I was not a protester, but had gone to hospital to get myself checked, but they didn't listen. They destroyed the only vehicle we have, a scooter," said Sahara.
Tanmay Wadekar, the 11-year-old resident of Madban, was studying under a tree, he said, when he saw policemen charging ahead with lathis, pelting stones at villagers. Tanmay started running to the shelter of his house, but his child's stamina was no match for the physically-trained cops who caught up with him, and battered him.

"Before I could say anything, the police started beating me. Some lashed me with sticks, others trampled my limbs underfoot. I could only scream. Finally, they dumped me in some thorny bushes. My sister, who had seen all this, informed my parents. They took me to the hospital," said Tanmay.

After hearing gunshots in the neighbourhood, Akbar Solkar, a resident of Sakhre Nate ran to see what was happening, when he was greeted with bullets. "Before I realised what had happened in the neighbourhood, my left hand was throbbingu00a0-- a bullet had pierced my arm, it was swollen and bloody. I had gone there to help. I wasn't pelting stones or attacking someone. Yet, I was targeted. Can the police explain this?" he asked, seeming stunned even after a week. He is currently recovering from the bullet wound, after it was dislodged from his arm by doctors at a local hospital.

'We expect nothing'
While cops claimed the villagers began the offensive by assaulting police personnel, villagers claim that those appointed to protect them have turned predators. They are hurt and betrayed, they claim, and no compensation by the government can assuage their loss, or alleviate the pain of the bereaved.

"Neither has the government offered us any compensation, nor do we expect any from them. We are sufficient enough to take care of ourselves," said Majid Goankar, a resident and anti-nuclear activist from Jaitapur. "Our only demand is that the government take the project somewhere else. Until that happens, we will continue protesting."

Former sarpanch and an active anti-nuclear protester, Manda Wadekar, said sardonically, "If the project has that many merits, why doesn't the CM take it to his hometown of Karnad. He shouldn't forget that he is on the chair because of people like us. If he ignores us, he will have to go."

'Can't trust Ramesh'
Even as Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh issued a stop work notice at Jaitapur, its protesting residents seem unappeasable. The move hasn't brought relief, rather, people are indifferent. They say that believing Ramesh is going to be difficult for them after Monday. "Earlier, we heard that he is against the project. But even as he was holding meetings with us about whether to sanction the project, he went ahead and gave it a nod. How do we believe him now?" said Pravin Gavankar, a senior activist from Jaitapur.

Said another, requesting anonymity, "We were earlier led to believe that Ramesh was on our side, and had written a letter to the PM in this regard. But nothing happened. Instead, we lost one of our own. There is no way we can believe him." Madhukar Gaikwad, collector of Ratnagiri, said, "I read about the notice in the newspapers. No official correspondence has reached me yet. So I cannot comment on it."

The other side
Senior Inspector of Nate Police Station Dilip Borsate, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, said that it was the villagers who started assaulting policemen first. "Groups of people started attacking police personnel positioned at various locations. They pelted stones at police stations. Even our seniors, including the collector, were attacked. They torched our van and started the attack. At that point, we could not have just sat back and done nothing," he said.