Kargil Hero Fights Battle Against Mining Mafia In His Village

October 7, 2012

Jai Ram, age 35, is a local hero in his Dabla village in
North Rajasthan, a 140 km drive from Jaipur. His
recognition is well-earned. In his small house his medal
-the Vir Chakra- earned for service to the nation as a
jawan of the Rajputana Rifles in the Kargil War sits on
his prayer platform.

But in this village of Dabla, where his valour is
legendary, he is now a wanted man with six police
cases against him, accusing him of violence and
damaging public property.

On August 31 this year Jai Ram quit the army. He has a
wife and two young children, and an old mother to
support, but he decided that he wanted to help the
village fight a mining mafia whose size and aggression
were both scaling up.

"Today there is no war on our border. I defended my
Nation then so now it's my duty to fight the enemy
within, to fight against corruption and to help the
common man in my village," says Jai Ram.

This part of Rajasthan, near the Haryana border, is rich
in gravel stones. The nearest mines are just a five
minute walk away. In violation of all licenses and laws,
the mines had encroached so far into the village that
many huts had cracked walls, the result of blasts used
in the stone quarries.

The homes that bore the brunt of the violations had
been funded by a government scheme to provide
housing for the poor.

The mining mafia also carved out a road in the middle
of the village's pasture. Heavy trucks began passing
through. The health and safety of villagers and their
cattle was being jeopardized.

Jai Ram mobilized the village, and led them to court a
year ago. Last month, the Rajasthan High Court made
Dabla's pasture-land and the road within off-limits to
mining companies. It also ordered the Rajasthan
Pollution Control board to monitor the blasting and
mining operations in the village which were disturbing
people and damaging their homes.

Jai Ram began his campaign to protect his village in
April 2011 with a massive dharna. On April 19, he
reorganized villagers for a sit in. The police forcibly lifted
the sit-in by villagers including women. The women
regrouped on the 20th with another dharna. The police
forcibly detained 20 women for agitating.

From May 21, the police began filing cases against
Dabla villagers for protesting against mining.

"On the 4th of May 2011, I went to meet chief minister
Ashok Gehlot. On that day the police filed an FIR
against me in Dabla saying that I was throwing stones
and agitating, "a villager, named only as Sunil, said.

Till date six cases have been filed against Jai Ram
alone. He has been charged with shearing electricity
lines and beating up the workers in nearby mines.
Social activists in Rajasthan have begun rallying around
him. They have written to the state government, asking
for the cases filed by the Dabla police to be
investigated for ulterior motives.

People's Union for Civil Liberties activist Kavita
Srivastavat says, "After the High Court judgment
against illegal mining in Dabla village, which upholds the
villagers contentions, the Rajasthan police should take
back all false cases against people in Dabla and the
state government should apologize."

Divisional Commissioner Madhukar Gupta says, "Cases
and counter-cases in such an agitation are common."
However, he said if anyone is being illegally detained,
the administration will examine the cases.
Ndtv