GBGB: Arrest of activists protesting the SRA (GBGB)

GBGB: Arrest of activists protesting the SRA

Director: GBGB

Duration: 00:19:07; Aspect Ratio: 1.335:1; Hue: 21.919; Saturation: 0.062; Lightness: 0.494; Volume: 0.188; Cuts per Minute: 38.542; Words per Minute: 57.368

This video documents the arrest of GBGB activists when they protested the nexus between the state and builders. It was because of this nexus that 1,000 families were evicted from their homes--all in the name of development. This protest took place outside the office of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) in Bandra (East), Mumbai.

people's movements
GBGB
SRA
activism
development
eviction
protest
slum demolition

Medha Patkar and the crowd are shouting slogans.

Medha Patkar: 'We will fight! We will win!' (Twice).

Simpreet: Cheers my friends! (Audience: Cheers!) The proposal that Mr. Suresh put forth now... (CUT).. if you go to MHADA then they direct you somewhere else. They make us move around from here to there and from there to here. Isn't it? (CUT)

Simpreet: The CEO of SRA is also here yesterday. But he didn't know that we were also going to be here today.

The crowd is listening attentively.

Simpreet: But this was not the excuse that we do not know and that authority must have done it. So the talk that has happened between societies from Goregaon to Bawrekar Nagar..

Cutaway to women standing and listening to Simpreet.

Simpreet: The point of SRA is that if I lose then even he would so we have to give them the answer to Mandala also while going.

Simpreet: He used to come here. He used to come with his committee. His hearing didn't happen because he didn't sit (?) on it. The lower cadre authorirties used to sit on it.

Simpreet: We know what the programme further is. So they have spoken about it and given us the assurance that they will redress all the grievances of the people whatever they are (CUT).. they are not going to do it. When the topic of Mandala will come up...

Medha Patkar: 'We all are united!' 'We will fight! We will win!' The right of residing in Mumbai...

Medha Patkar: It has not been bought, it has been looted. In such a situation, to fulfill our need of housing we will have to knock at their door not once but many a times. And we will have to push open the door of administration. But we didn't have to push open their door today. Hence, we are thankful. But today the High Power Commitee heard us out it has a very deep... (CUT)... Sometimes a call comes, sometimes something happens. First the paper was seen when he himself marked the file and got it and showed us. But one has to talk in this way, in this way the news comes out because people don't realize that they have been given justice. But today when the discussion happened as to how the system should be, be it in Shivalik, be it in Daulatnagar, be it in Shastrinagar, be it in Gilbert Hill, or be it in upcoming...

Medha Patkar: When the discussion of Annexure 2 happened, how fake names are put in it.. when the discussion of Shivalik happened, the authorities said.. (CUT)... they have mentioned 3,500 houses... there has been a plan to demolish 80,000 houses.... (CUT)... instead of markets, shopkeepers who have been sitting there for 50 years, by displacing them some builder named Agarwal wants to annexe it. And we used to call municipality as 'Utlipalti' when we were young. And that kind of discussion is happening to sell our own land at the cheapest price. So we won't allow it go to into the hands of small shopkeepers. They have said with regard to this matter that they will examine each and every thing. And they will make a whole system in which there will be hearing of our matters, they will have separate discussions. Now as Mr. Simpreet has made the most complaints hence discussions will happen with him.

Simpreet: You can put them all together. So is this a complaint or not? So all this will have to be done. Now we have said that the builders are on a shooting spree. They break this house and that house, this house and that house... and they make a bustling settlement into a barren place.... (CUT)... a builder who earns a profit of Rs. 10,000/- , considers Rs. 2 lakh to be a petty amount.. (CUT)... so we are not going to consider these to be promises made before the elections. After elections they will be there and we will be there too... corporators and MLA's...

Medha Patkar: There are more people.. like the case of Worli... I said that their history of so many years was saved... (CUT)... It is necessary for ward meetings to take place as per the constitution. It is a law. But rather than ward meetings here, meetings of settlements should happen. What should happen? (Audience: Settlement meetings!). We will have to make laws in settlement meetings... (CUT)... It should be 70% and 30%. Otherwise we should not agree to the builders....(CUT)... What is co operation?

Cutaway to a hoarding of 'Slum Rehabilitation Authority'. The crowd is shouting slogans in the background.

Police is doing lathi charge at the crowd.

The police are beating up people are forcefully arresting them.

Simpreet and other volunteers are being pushed in police vans forcefully.

Women are being beaten up. Medha Patkar is being forcfully arrested.

Slogans: 'Raise your voice! We are united!'

Crowd is shouting slogans.

Medha Patkar is attacked and is being arrested forcefully.

Police do lathi charge and attack women.

People are being beaten up badly.

Medha Patkar is being pushed along in the crowd towards a police van.

The women try to protect Medha Patkar.

Women are being pushed and prodded badly.

Slogans: 'Raise your voice! We are united!' (Twice). 'This is just the start. There is a long battle ahead!' (Twice).

Public shouts slogans in protest.

Women shout in protest to female police.

Women: Don't touch. Talk from a distance.

Women are being pushed badly into police vans.

Women escort Medha Patkar aside.

Offscreen: 'Raise your voice! We are united!'

Crowd of women and Medha Patkar are sitting on the road in protest to the attack that has happened.

Water and aid is being given to people.

Offscreen: 'Wake up! Wake up! We will fight! We will win!'

Crowd and Medha Patkar walk in protest to the police attacks.

Medical aid is being given to people.

Medha Patkar: We didn't do any kind of hooligan behaviour. The builders who behave like hooligans and the authorities who are corrupt- they don't attack them. After such a good discussion, they have defamed themselves and insulted the people. Many people are injured. The male police grabbed the women. The charged lathis.

Medha Patkar talks to the media in protest of the police attacks.

Young man: They have done a lathi charge. Everything was going on well here, everything was going on properly... everyone finished speaking. People were going from here. When people were going, they grabbed tai and the women and pushed them in. They did a lathi charged for nothing.

People talk to the media in protest of the police attacks on them.

Young man: Nothing! Nothing at all happened! Everyone was going in a single line... there was no need to do a lathi charge here. Everything was going on properly. Was there any need for them to do so? They pulled the women and pushed them in...

Women in sari: I took half the women in the car. They started to beat up tai. They pulled tai. We pulled tai aside. They pulled off tai's clothes. So we held on to tai. See, this is how they beat us up by lathi. They broke one woman's hand. The cut off one woman's hand. They scarred one's face. The female police did lathi charge at the women. They pulled the women's hair. There one woman has become unconsious. They beat up so many women. We were protecting tai. We didn't do anything else. We were not breaking any laws. We were going to MHADA. There was nothing we did.

The situation is under control.

Yellow sari: We will protect all those who are injured. We will populate all your houses. As soon as the election happened...

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