Escalation of protests

On February 25, the protests reached a boiling point when authorities, under heavy police security and the imposition of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), initiated a land survey for the construction of a road connecting to the proposed port. Anticipating resistance, the district administration enforced prohibitory orders from 6 AM to 9 PM, preventing public gatherings. However, this move only fuelled the outrage, with schoolchildren and entire families joining the protests.

Determined to halt the survey work, hundreds of fishermen, including women and elderly members of the community, gathered at the shore in Kasarkod and staged a sit-in protest. The situation took a dramatic turn when over 50 protestors, including several women, waded into the sea, threatening mass suicide. Three women lost consciousness due to heat exhaustion and were rushed to hospitals, with one requiring critical care at Manipal Hospital.

Amidst the chaos, police detained more than a hundred protestors, including key leaders of the fishing community, accusing them of violating prohibitory orders. The arrests further enraged the demonstrators, who warned of escalating their protests unless their fellow protestors were released. In a show of solidarity, a young girl left a note threatening to jump into the sea, holding the state’s Fisheries Minister, Mankal Vaidya, accountable for the distress inflicted upon the fishing community.

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State repression and suppression of dissent

Rather than addressing the genuine grievances of the community, the Karnataka government and district administration have reportedly resorted to heavy-handed measures to quell the protests. The imposition of prohibitory orders was a clear attempt to suppress dissent and create a hostile environment where the voices of the fishermen could be stifled. Instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue, the state deployed a large police force to intimidate the protestors, using arbitrary arrests and excessive force to disperse the gatherings.

The police crackdown was marked by signs of brutality and disregard for basic human rights. Protestors were forcibly dragged away, shoved into police buses, and detained without proper justification. Reports indicate that some were denied access to legal aid and held in custody for extended hours without clear charges. The authorities’ decision to conduct overnight raids in search of protestors who had spoken to the media further demonstrates their intent to silence any opposition to the port project.

The betrayal by Fisheries Minister Mankal Vaidya has only deepened the outrage. Once a vocal opponent of the port under the previous BJP administration, he has now aligned himself with corporate interests, disregarding the very people he once promised to protect. His refusal to intervene meaningfully, despite multiple pleas from the fishing community, has fueled accusations of political opportunism and abandonment of his responsibilities.

Devastating impact on livelihoods

For the 6,000 families that depend on fishing as their primary source of income, the construction of the port represents an existential threat. Fishermen argue that the project will destroy crucial fishing zones, disrupt marine biodiversity, and render many of them jobless. Additionally, the planned four-lane road leading to the port has already displaced local vendors and affected small-scale businesses tied to the dried-fish industry. The community fears that further infrastructure development, including a railway line, could lead to mass displacement of around 600 families, stripping them of their ancestral lands and livelihoods.

The destruction of olive ridley turtle nesting sites is another critical concern. The coast of Kasarkod is an ecologically sensitive area, home to annual nesting of these critically endangered sea turtles. Despite documented evidence of nesting activity, the Karnataka High Court dismissed a fishermen-led petition in 2021, citing a flawed report from the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), which failed to account for the nesting season. Activists argue that the government and the courts have colluded to ignore environmental regulations in favour of corporate interests.

Legal and political setbacks

Efforts to halt the port project through legal channels have met repeated setbacks. In addition to the Karnataka High Court ruling, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) rejected a petition challenging the construction of the four-kilometer-long road on the grounds that it violated Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms. Despite mounting evidence of environmental violations, authorities continue to push ahead with the project, disregarding the legitimate concerns of the local community.

The district administration’s use of excessive force to suppress the protest has further deepened the mistrust between the government and the fishing community. Reports suggest that police conducted overnight raids in search of protestors who had spoken to the media, raising concerns about the state’s attempts to silence dissent. The deployment of heavy security forces, including riot police, to facilitate the survey indicates that the state sees its own citizens as obstacles rather than stakeholders in development.

A community’s unwavering resistance

Despite facing repeated crackdowns, legal hurdles, and betrayals by their own representatives, the fishermen of Honnavar refuse to back down. Their struggle has become emblematic of the broader fight against unchecked industrial expansion at the cost of local communities and ecological sustainability. Fishermen leaders have vowed to continue their resistance until the port project is scrapped entirely.

The protests at Kasarkod are not just about a single infrastructure project; they represent a larger battle against corporate encroachment, environmental destruction, and the marginalisation of traditional coastal communities. The state’s heavy-handed approach, marked by repression and disregard for public sentiment, has only strengthened the resolve of the protestors. As the confrontation between the fisherfolk and the government intensifies, it remains to be seen whether the authorities will acknowledge the voices of the people or continue to prioritise industrial interests at their expense.

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People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Maharashtra has condemned the arrests and criminal cases filed against fisherfolk from Uran Koliwada who have been protesting against the destruction of their fishing areas due to multiple projects being carried out by JNPT, CIDCO, NMSEZ and other companies over several years. It is reported, that  on February 7, 2023, 30 fisherfolk from Uran Koliwada were arrested and an FIR was filed against them under sections 353, 341, 143, 141, 186, 109, 506 r/w 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. They were produced before the JMFC Court, Uran and remanded to judicial custody until February 20.  Their bail application will come up before the District and Sessions Court, Panvel on Monday, February 13. 

Fisherfolk from Uran Koliwada have been protesting against the rampant and widespread destruction of their fishing areas due to various projects carried out by JNPT, CIDCO, NMSEZ and other companies for several years. In a number of orders passed by the Bombay High Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) it has been held that the fisherfolk have a customary right to fish for a living in the creeks, in this case the Uran Creek. These projects have detrimentally impacted the practice of such customary rights.

Earlier the fisherfolk could fish vast quantities of various types of fish species. As of today, the reclamation for the various projects of CIDCO, JNPT, NMSEZ, has permanently destroyed their fishing lands. Moreover, due to digging, dredging and piling by various JNPT projects, the creek bottom has been completely destroyed and with that the marine life culture and feeding places are also destroyed. This loss to the fishing land is now unrecoverable. JNPT has started reclaiming additional lands on a massive scale without any compensation to the affected fisherfolk.  In the year 2003, CIDCO started reclaiming about 461 ha. of land from the landing sites where the fisherfolk fish. This reclamation was done for the benefit of NMSEZ, who paid about Rs.130 crore for rehabilitation of the fisherfolk. This amount is lying with CIDCO and not a single paisa has yet been paid towards their rehabilitation. 

Now CIDCO is proposing to reclaim the remaining part of the landing site of Uran creek. An 11 meter wide Uran bypass road is proposed to be constructed which will cut through the landing site which is also covered with mangroves and mudflats. If this area is also reclaimed, then there will be no site left for fishing and the fisherfolk will lose their only source of livelihood.  The fishing community has repeatedly been asking for details of the project and sought protection from the destruction of their only fishing areas. They have also demanded that they should be rehabilitated and the earlier compensation which is lying with CIDCO be immediately paid to them.  

Instead of prosecuting the officers of CIDCO for damaging and destroying their fishing areas, CIDCO has filed false cases against them with a view to terrorize and intimidate them. Section 353 of the IPC which has been made more draconian following the state amendment has been falsely applied on the peaceful protestors. PUCL, Maharashtra has  condemned the destruction of the fishing areas and the reign of terror unleashed on the affected fisherfolk who are merely asserting their customary rights and their right to a decent livelihood. The platform has also demanded  that they be allowed to fish in the area, including the Uran Creek, unhindered and the areas that have been illegally reclaimed be restored immediately and the criminal cases are withdrawn.

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Image credit: Aarefa Johari
 

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