WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY DECEMBER 10, 2008

ALL GOA REPRESENTATION AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES BY GOA POLICE

To,
Director-General of Police,
Police Headquarters,
Panjim,
Goa.

Subject: Human Rights violations by Goa Police in the mining belt of Goa

Sir,

We are deeply appalled by the repeated attacks by Goa police on villagers agitating against life-threatening mining operations all over Goa in the mining belt. We have come to Police Headquarters to meet with you to demand a halt to such police abuses against citizens. We strongly protest such abuses.

When you took charge of Goa Police, you announced a very important thrust area for the Goa Police. You said (and these are your own words):

"If we are able to win the hearts of the people we are paid to serve, more than half our battle is won. This can happen only if we are able to perform not only on the law & order and crime front, but also in our public dealings by our helpful and sympathetic behaviour towards people who come to us in their moment of distress. We should also have regular meetings and interactions with them and give them a sense of involvement in our work. Cases where women, children and the elderly are victims of crime should always receive our prompt attention."

Records with us show as many as 27 instances of repressive police interventions against protesting villagers and on behalf of mining companies in various parts of Goa in just one year alone. Colomba in Sanguem, Advalpal in Bicholim and Nuem, Khola in Canacona are the three villages under constant threat of police abuse (list is annexed to this memorandum).

It is widely acknowledged that mining operations not just in these villages, but in other parts of Goa as well, are being conducted without following any environmental or other norms. Government authorities stand by and watch and do nothing about people's complaints. Mining trucks kill people indiscriminately through overspeeding. In many areas, overloading is a norm: your road traffic officers simply watch as public roads and traffic deteriorate in the face of overloading.

Mining activities are destroying water sources, paddy fields, and otherwise disrupting the peaceful Goan way of life and livelihood. This is well documented in numerous studies, videos, in several discussions on the floor of the Goa Assembly and in several petitions before the High Court. Villagers are simply fighting tooth and nail to defend their agriculture and water sources.

We wish to point out to you that mining is not just threat to the villages that are opposing it in their areas but also to the entire State of Goa as the water supply to the rest of Goa largely comes from hinterland Goa that is being recklessly mined for short term gains with disastrous long term consequences.

The most flagrant human rights abuses are taking place at Colamb village in south Goa where the Fomentos – illegally mining the Hiralal Khodidas mine – are able to call upon the police on demand to harass and intimidate the protesting villagers.

On December 04, 2008 at Quepem Police Station, PI Santosh Dessai called agitating villagers and gave them a 4 day's deadline to end their agitation. If they did not relent, he said he would unleash police terror on them by mobilizing police force from all over Goa and crush the agitation in the same way the Meta Strips agitation was crushed some years ago.

The villagers were also warned that in case they persist in agitating, they will be given "Tadi Par" – a form of punishment that means literally exile – and forbidden from entering South Goa.

Two Fomento managers also were present at the meeting when PI Santosh Dessai told the villagers to compromise with the mining company and accept "sustainable mining" in Colamb.

Villagers who clearly heard this threat made by the PI include Rama Velip, Salvador Dias, Telu Dias, Xavier Fernandes, Purso Gaoncar, Arjun Velip, Chandrakant Gaonkar, Surya Gaonkar. All are willing to file affidavits in this connection, if required.

No PI can threaten an entire village community with assault and your department is duty bound to take appropriate action against him. We demand his immediate removal from Quepem.

We wish to reiterate here our firm conviction and belief that peaceful protest is a democratic right of citizens, guaranteed to them under the Constitution of India. Protest and agitation by entire communities to highlight severe grievances is a way of expressing the fact that serious harm is being caused to the village community, in this instance, by mining.

The police have no business to interfere in this form of protest adopted by the people, to attempt to curb these agitations, or to intimidate peaceful protesters by illegally threatening them or having them arrested or detained. The police are duty bound to enforce law and order. Beyond this, they have no power to adjudicate disputes or to take sides and act at the behest of mining company managements. Neither have they been given any power to decide on the legality of mining operations.

In these circumstances, we would expect the police force to report to the government that there are continuous and increasing social problems being caused by mining activities all over Goa, so that the government can take proactive measures on these issues instead of allowing the law and order situation to deteriorate further or instead of using the police force as a buffer to contain public resentment and anger against destructive mining.

Today December 10, 2008 – International Human Rights Day – we, the undersigned, urge you to immediately stop providing police security to mining companies. The primary duty of the police is to protect the life and limb of citizens at large. Police salaries are paid from the public fund and we protest the force being used to shield private mining companies from the legitimate protests that the public wishes to express against their destructive activities.

Sincerely,

Wendell Rodricks and others