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Singrauli police arrest two Greenpeace activists
Two members of Greenpeace India, who were working in Singrauli district, were arrested by Singrauli police on Tuesday night for restraining a police team from carrying out a search operation at their camp.
Two members of Greenpeace India, who were working in Singrauli district, about 780 kilometers northeast of Bhopal, were arrested by Singrauli police on Tuesday night for restraining a police team from carrying out a search operation at their camp.
The arrests were made from the base camp of the organisation at Amelia village.
However, members of Singrauli unit of Greenpeace India accused the police of deliberately implicating them under false charges and harassing them so that the forest rights activists stop their campaign.
The Greenpeace India has been active in Singrauli district for about four years and is protesting against Essar's and certain other companies' proposed coal mining projects in Mahan forest area.
Read: Cops seize 'illegal equipment' from Greenpeace protest site
The police registered a case against the members of Greenpeace India under section 353 of IPC. The arrested people were identified as Akshay Gupta and Rahul Gupta.
The police also claimed to have recovered a high frequency wireless set, a high frequency antenna, six batteries and high capacity communication cables.
"When one of our staff members went to serve a notice to the activists asking them to show their license (for their wireless set), they misbehaved and also tried to beat him up," said superintendent of police, Singrauli, D Kalyan Chakraborty.
On the other hand, Greenpeace India claimed the police had seized a mobile phone signal booster and solar panel.
"We are using a walky-talky and we have a valid license. What the police have seized is a mobile phone signal booster and a solar panel," said Priya Pillai, senior campaigner with Greenpeace India and member of Mahan Sangharsh Samiti.
