On 10^th January, activists including Medha Patkar, were arrested in the most undemocratic fashion and, were detained at the Salt Lake Stadium of Kolkata as they were about to leave the place where she was staying and proceed towards Singur.

The paranoia of the establishment is evident as 7 police vans were engaged in arresting a small group of non- violent people. While in custody they refused any meals. They were released earlier this morning. This action, shall we call it fascist, on the part of the West Bengal government is totally uncalled for and reminds us of the Champaran era of our freedom struggle.

Singur's farmers have been struggling for a year now against the acquisition of their land by the West Bengal government. The government wants to acquire this land to give it to the Tatas for 'development' purposes. The land in Singur slated for acquisition is fertile, well- irrigated land. Any resultant economic benefits like increase in employment is, at best, speculative. What is most worrying is the fact that the Tatas were offered land in Kharagpur that they rejected and the government is going all out to acquire this land. The secrecy of the deal, the speed of the acquisition and the resultant police brutality are all sources of concern and definitely reflect a certain lack of transparency on the part of the government.

Singur has been making headlines for more than a month now as the people are consistently resisting the taking over of their lands The people of the region, mostly small farmers and sharecroppers, have been opposed to this action, for it directly affects their means of livelihood. Despite their resistance the fencing for the acquisition continues in the area. The people have been subjected to severe police brutality as well.

We condemn this unconstitutional behaviour from the establishment, the guardians of the constitution. This incident is not alone; the government's insistence on going ahead with SEZs in different parts of the country despite popular resistance is a source of concern. Urban policies are increasingly anti- poor and literally pushing them to the outskirts of the cities. It is ironical that the labour and service of the poor are important and required but their security in terms of food and shelter are of low priority for the establishment. All this forms a source of concern and makes us wonder if indeed we live in a democracy.

- Simpreet Singh, Sandeep Pandey, Sanjay MG, Mukta Srivastava, Sumanya Velamur
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS, C/o Chemical Mazdoor Sabha Haji Habib Building, Naigaon Cross Road, Dadar (E) Mumbai 400014 P. No. 022-24150529