Among the 29 arrested in Aarey: Tribal activist, student, IT professional…
All 29 were sent to Thane and Byculla prisons after being remanded in judicial custody following their arrest under non-bailable sections.
3 min read
An activist holds a placard during a protest against cutting down of trees for a proposed metro car shed project at Aarey Colony in Mumbai on October 6. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
From a tribal rights activist to an IT professional, from a student to a businessman, the 29 people arrested during the protests against the tree felling in Aarey Friday night wouldn’t have imagined that participating in a civic movement would end in prison for them.
All 29 were sent to Thane and Byculla prisons after being remanded to judicial custody following their arrest under non-bailable sections, where they spent a night before being released late Sunday night on bail by a holiday court.
Swapnil Pawar (22), who is an IT professional, and a resident of Royal Palms in Aarey Colony, was one of the very first to reach the spot after the tree cutting began. “I was born and brought up in Aarey and I just wanted to protect my home,” he said.
Divyang Potdar, a 26-year-old PhD scholar in Mumbai University, was also among the arrested. His mother Vidya said that protesting “is our constitutional right” and her son had committed no wrong.
Siddharth Anbhuve, a media professional, said he had been part of the protests since 2015. “I live in Jogeshwari and Aarey is 10-15 km away from my place. I want to save it from destruction,” said Anbhuve. Pramila Bhoir is the wife of tribal activist Prakash Bhoir, an active participant in the Aarey campaign.
Read | Arrests mark new turn in way police deal with civic protests
Stiphan Misal (40) is a decorator and a disc jockey and a resident of one of the 27 tribal hamlets. “There have been protests every Sunday at the site near the Aarey picnic point. On Friday also, it felt the same, only there was police presence this time. I was not part of the protest on Friday night and was just walking home when I was detained,” said Misal.
Prashant Kamble (37), a businessman who is a resident of Vasai, said, “I went to Aarey on Friday supporting my friends, but did not participate in the protest. I was at home at 10 pm when messages started pouring in, about trees being cut at Aarey. I have friends living in the area who called me. I was not part of any group who were protesting but was detained by police and later sent to judicial custody.”
Explained: The fight over Aarey Colony
Another protester, Shashikant Sonavane (45), a social activist, said “India is a democratic country where people have right to protest against any unhealthy decision. But this new government is taking that freedom from us.”
Also among the arrested were Kapil Agarwal and Shruti Nair, members of Youth for Swaraj, affiliated to activist Yogendra Yad-av’s Swaraj India. It was their arrest that triggered the letter to the CJI by their friend Rishav Ranjan.
You May Like
Photos
