Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Social activist and convener of Narmada Bachao Andolan Medha Patkar and Supreme Court lawyer Ahtesham Hashmi were denied entry in Sendhwa and Khargone on Saturday.
Supreme Court lawyer and activist, Hashmi said that the team including Medha Patkar first went to Khargone to take stock of the situation.
“Working of police and administration has come under question after people who were languishing in jail were accused as rioters. We were trying to go there to heal the wounds of the afflicted but the administration didn’t allow us,” said NBA activist Medha Patkar.
“Over half a dozen vehicles of police and administration surrounded us and didn’t allow going inside the town. We requested the administration that we go on foot and leave the vehicles but they denied,” said Hashmi, talking to Free Press.
The team reached Khargone when curfew was relaxed.
From Khargone the team decided to visit Sendhwa. Even this town had undergone communal riots.
As the team left for Sendhwa, police vehicles followed us and stopped us midway to Sendhwa, said the SC lawyer. Hashmi said that he told the police that Sendhwa was not under curfew and they should be allowed but they refused to budge.
Talking to media, SC lawyer Hashmi demanded an inquiry by an independent agency. “What message does the police and administration want to send to people by stopping a SC lawyer and activist. There is definitely something wrong, therefore the police and administration are not allowing us to go,” said Hashmi. He said that he would also approach the High Court to provide justice to the poor and people wrongly framed by the police in these communal riots.
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