Tabrez with several other fishermen from his village was part of a crowd protesting against an upcoming nuclear power plant at nearby Jaitapur. Police fired in the air to disperse the crowd and, as it always happens, not one but 3 bullets pierced Tabrez's body.
Before his burial the mullah of the biggest of the 5 village mosques announced, “Tabrez ki shahadat ko duniya dekh rahi hai." I'm not sure about the world, but Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh probably took note of Tabrez's death after a week and called for “pause" on the Jaitapur nuclear power project.
A childhood friend tells us that 30-year-old Tabrez was never a troublemaker. He stayed away from fights all his life. “So what was he doing with a mob which allegedly assaulted policemen, torched their vehicles and attacked the village police station," I ask. “We are fishermen. Our living is being snatched away from us. Only 6 months ago Tabrez took a loan to buy his own fishing boat. This power project is going to change the ecology of the sea.
There will be no fish for us to catch. How will we survive? This was the sole reason for Tabrez joining the protesters. We are not in favour of violence. Some mischievous elements initiated the violence and got away when things went out of control," he argues. So who were these elements? Do they belong to a political party? Tabrez's friend keeps mum. Read the full report here.
Source: by Manjul, DNA, Mumbai.
