10 Months After Their Promise, Maha Govt Issues Order Withdrawing Cases Against Aarey Activists
The Maharashtra government has issued a letter to the state's Director General of Police for submission of a report within 15 days on action taken in connection with withdrawal of cases against people who had protested the felling of trees at Mumbai's Aarey Forest in 2019.
The letter, which was sent to the DGP on July 5, highlights the fact that the state government had decided to withdraw cases against such protesters, adding that the police must act as per instructions in this regard from the state Law and Judiciary department.
It said the damage caused to public property during the stir must be collected from the concerned protester.
Case dates back to October 2019
Several tribals, youths, and activists who protested the cutting of trees were?arrested by the police?in October 2019, when they had gathered at Aarey to prevent the midnight cutting of trees there.
Though Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had directed the state home department to immediately start the procedure to?withdraw cases registered against protestors?back in October 2020, it was not followed up.
This had left some 29 people, including students, young working professionals and some tribals in a dark future.
Many students who had plans to go abroad for studies had their applications rejected and jobs turned down due to pending cases.
Swapnil Pawar, a 23-year-old who was among the 29 arrested protesters could not get a passport issued due to pending cases.
While expressing happiness over the development, Pawar said the cases are yet to be withdrawn.
He said that the Home Ministry has given directions to the Aarey police station and it will have to be followed up by them with the court.
In June this year,?Aarey Colony?authorities had handed over 286.7 hectares of land to the Maharashtra government, paving the way for the protection of one of Mumbai's main green lungs.
The Uddhav Thackeray government had?declared 800 acres of land in Aarey as reserve forest?last year.
The handover ended the nearly seven years of battle by the citizens of Mumbai to save the last green patch of the city, where the previous government wanted to build a car shed for the metro project.
