Medha Patkar ‘stopped' from attending Rayagada meeting
Koraput: Environmentalist
Medha Patkar
(71) was allegedly detained by police at Rayagada railway station on Thursday morning over fears of law and order disruption, shortly after she arrived in Rayagada district.
She was supposed to attend a public meeting at Hatpada field in Sunger under Kashipur block in protest against proposed mining activities at Sijimali bauxite mines.
"We had inputs that her presence could trigger law and order problems as there were groups opposing her en route to Kashipur. She was requested not to proceed to the meeting and she left the town without any untoward incident being reported," said KKBK Kanhar, IIC of Rayagada police station.
The meeting, organised by local outfit "Maa Mati Mali Surakhya Mancha" on
World Environment Day
, was aimed at raising awareness about environment degradation and tribal rights.
According to Patkar, the authorities showed her an order issued by the Rayagada district administration listing over 25 people, including her, who were barred from entering the area.
"I was stopped from participating in the meeting by the police. They showed us an order claiming that we had come to incite people. But my objective was to create awareness about the PESA Act and other tribal rights issues," said Patkar.
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