Monday, January 2, 2012

In India, the year gone by was a very significant one as people rose to protest against multiple issues.

In India, the year gone by was a very significant one as people rose to protest against multiple issues. The usurpation of peasants’ land for so-called development has been a major issue and it manifested itself through agitations like the one against POSCO, in Orissa. The other movements, such as the ones seen in Koodankulam and Jaitapur, combined a concern for ecological preservation and protest against nuclear hazards. Currently, a large number of Indians are being alienated from their lands.

Their protests have been significant but under-projected. Similarly, Irom Sharmila’s long-standing fast for repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act brings to our notice the atrocities committed by the Indian army in places like the North-east and Kashmir.

The protest that seemed to have caught the national imagination was the one led by Anna Hazare. Here, a combination of several factors played their roles and made it spread far and wide.

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