In a tragic turn of events on the night of the seventh of May, four Greenpeace activists Akshay Gupta, Vinit Gupta, Bechan Lal and Vijay Shankar Singh were arrested for peacefully protesting against Essar’s illegitimate coal mining activities in the Mahan forest, Singrauli in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The allegations and arrests made against these individuals are not only unfounded, but unconstitutional at their very essence. For the preservation of these individuals’ democratic rights, Greenpeace has announced a campaign imploring activists and those concerned by expressing outrage and demanding justice by calling the following numbers.

SP D. Kalyan Chakravarty- 09479998880

Singrauli DGP: 09424467100

Singrauli police Control Room: 07805234700

Singrauli SP: 07805234601

What’s most outrageous about the allegations made are that the protesters were falsely accused of rape. Equally outrageous is that fact that not a single mainstream news publication has taken initiative to cover the story. Essar already has a long lasting rocky history in the area. The Mahan forest contains richness full of bio diversity and is the source of sustenance for the indigenous people. Legal battles have been persisting since Environment clearance (under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006) was given to the Mahan coal-block on December 23rd, 2008 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). Since then Essar has continually been adamant to undermine the ““Community Forest Rights” of the Singrauli district in their agendas for profit from deforestation.

It can hence be inferred that Essar’s political clout and influence extends far beyond that which is ubiquitously considered ethical. It is time we must face a truth that stares us nefariously in the face. Under a Modi run office, the empowerment of corporations under circumstances like Essar will become a run of the mill occurrence as universally accepted as corruption has been for years. The foundations for an oligarchy are already being laid.

I implore you, the reader to take a stand against these injustices made by faceless corporations like Essar. Express your indignation and spread the message that the mainstream media has chosen to ignore.

UPDATE: The four activists have now been moved to judicial custody which means we can’t call on the SP to release them since it is now in the hands of the court. Please continue sharing and spreading the word.

Visit http://act.gp/1oHMafj to tell Essar to stop their bullying tactics and not use their influence to suppress the right to a peaceful protest. http://www.junglistan.org/