Hundreds of women were raped in Nandigram: Medha Patkar

January 19, 2008
Nandigram : 'Hundreds of women were raped'-- Medha Patkar
Do not use force against people's struggles: Medha Patkar

Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Governments should not use force against "struggles by ordinary people" like those witnessed in Narmada and Nandigram, environmental activist Medha Patkar on Friday said.

Speaking after receiving the first Cyril Mar Baselios Award from Kerala Governor R L Bhatia, she said neither Naxalites nor Maoists were behind the movement in Nandigram.

"It was a movement of tribals and common people who were being deprived of the land which was in their possession for years," she said.

"The government was hunting down people to help monopoly interests in Nandigram. Hundreds of women were raped and several others driven out of their homes," she alleged, adding special economic zones have become centres of exploitation.

http://naxalwatch.blogspot.com/2008/01/nandigram-hundreds-of-women-were-raped.html