Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency, South 24th Pargana: The atrocities of the fishermen demonstrated with palm boats on the river, then they blocked the road and staged a protest. Today is the 13th day of the fishermen's dharna.
The atrocities of the forest department on fishermen are increasing day by day. In protest, fishermen held a silent procession and dharna with palm boats, crab pots, nets and fishing nets on the road in East Gurguria of Kultali block adjacent to the Sundarbans, according to the South Bengal Fishermen Forum. Women from the Gurguria Donga Fishermen's Association joined this procession. In the pursuit of livelihood, fishermen from the blocks adjacent to the Sundarbans have been collecting fish, crabs and honey in the forest for a living. At this moment, the atrocities of the forest department have descended on them. And in protest of that, on November 21, the fishermen blockaded the Kultali Bit office with hundreds of palm boats on the river. Since then, they have been protesting and sitting every day. Today is the 11th day of their sit-in. Their dharna stage was broken up in Bhubaneswari adjacent to Kultali Bit, said Milan Das and Leena Khadra. Their silent dharna on Monday and Tuesday is a protest against that. Atrocities on fishermen before November 21st, World Fishermen's Day. In order to survive, the forest department seized their watercraft in the Makri River and the adjacent Chituri forest and imposed a burden of money on them. They even used them to plant mangrove saplings and beautify the forest environment, but they were not paid fair wages. In protest, more than a hundred fishermen took boats and palm fronds to the Chituri forest at the initiative of the South Bengal Fishermen's Forum to protest for their lives in the water. Their demands are that the atrocities on fishermen in the forest are increasing day by day. They are given permission to fish in palm fronds without a valid pass for 250 taka, and if they do not pay in a month, they are subjected to unwritten atrocities, sometimes their palm fronds are seized. On this issue, the State General Secretary of the Fishermen's Forum, Milan Das, said that countless fishermen are victims of their atrocities, and such information came to light in the words of Shipra Sardar, Sanka Naskar, Maharani Pailan, Archana Mandals. Although there was pressure from the police at first, later the police became inactive. If the Forest Department officials accept the personal demand letters of all these fishermen, they will stage this dharna or protest, said Milan Das, Leena Khadra, Narayan Das, Tapasi Dalui.