meeting attacked:

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Dear ones,

 

As you are aware of, that this year when those directly affected by Coca Cola Pepsi Cola bottling plants started off on a padyatra from Singhachavar, Ballia to Mehndiganj, Varanasi, and were supported by activists who joined them including noted social activist Sandeep Pandey (Magsaysay 2002),  Coca Cola has been aggressively using tactics to numb the influence of this march on the people. COca Cola truck has been distributing fliers with misleading information re: the issue raised by the marchers, and releasing advertisements in newspapers worth lakhs of rupees to counter the negative influence march may have on it's market. This aggressive image building PR exercise of Coca Cola with complete disregard to people's issues, is indeed shocking.

 

Pradhan of Mehndiganj Varanasi who was so far standing by Coca Cola and Coca Cola had used his position to make claims that they have done 'public welfare' activities, came out openly against Coca Cola on Satuday last and stood by the claim of those directly affected in Mehndiganj. More surprisingly he disputed the public welfare claims of Coca Cola and made an appeal to Prime MInister, Chief Minister and District Magistrate of Varanasi to cancel the license of COca Cola for harming people and violating our own law and order.

 

Today on Monday Novmber 22, 2004 when the march reached Kashi Vidyapeeth, a meeting was being held at Kashi Vidyapeeth. About 20 youth started raising slogans against the leaders of this march, and many slogans were directed against Sandeep. They gave life threats to Sandeep and Sandeep and other activists present tried to have a dialogue and show them JPC report and other documentary evidence to substantiate their statements to oppose COca Cola Pepsi Cola bottling plants. But after hours of unabated efforts of activists including SAndeep, the youth were adamant and continued raising same slogans agaisnt the marchers.

They gave life threats to Sandeep and Sandeep went into the mob and dared them to fulfill their wish if they so believe that Coca Cola is so good for us and dont believe the people who are directly affected. THis diffused the hollow rhetorism and melodrama of these youth..

 

Eventually after som emore struggle, 4 youth were caught by the activists who were trying to disrupt the meeting. In our democracy there has to be a space enough for peaceful protests and dissent.

 

The activists also seized 4 vehicles (which were later found to be on rent) on which these youth had come. These vehicles contained lots of posters of Coca Cola and other material Coca Cola is dsitributing to people to negate the claims of the march.

 

This is a big shame on corporations for not only influencing our policies, our legislations, for their own PROFIT completely disregarding people's interests, but also trying to silent those who are peacefully raising real issues affecting thouands of people...

 

Please condemn this incident and ask the administration to take action against those who tried to disrupt today's meetings and gave life threats to the activists...

 

Contact details of District Magistrate VARANASI:

PHones:

+91 542 2502626

+91 542 2502727

+91 542 250 2754 (FAX)

+91 94151 45001 MOBILE

 

for more information on-site padyatra ( +91 94157 90126 - Jim Carman, Sandeep)

 

i am looking for cotnact details of Chief Secretary of UP state and will soon forward them to you...

 

banking on your support,

 

bobby (9839073355)

for

Sandeep & Arundhati (9415022772)

NAPM