By Japan K Pathak
Ahmedabad, DeshGujarat, 20 July 2010
Point blank murder of activist Amit Jethwa is shocking news, and I am
personally shocked. Jethwa’s murder has shocked me to the level same as Haren
Pandya’s or Pankaj Trivedi’s murder.
Jethwa was amazing force by himself. I met him first time in year 2005 when
he called me for an exclusive and interesting elephant story. An elephant
with badly injured foot was treated cruelly in local circus and therefore
rescued by forest department thanks to efforts employed by Amit Jethwa.
Jethwa continued to be with the elephant till its proper relocation. After
the story published well in newspaper, Jethwa became my regular source. A
young tall well built Amit Jethwa was one single source for many journalists
like me wanting to know anything and everything about Gir forest. Jethwa was
one stop resource for any information regarding Gir forest and forest
department’s handling of affairs there. He had amazing grip over South
western Saurashtra areas, especially ecological and environment related
issues. He would SMS and inform all friend journalists when incident of wood
cutting, illegal mining, suspicious death of lion, leopard, forest fire etc
occur. We journalists use to have our own mechanism to rigorously check
whether our source is genuine or a blackmailer misusing us. Amit too passed
through this process, but every time(in year 2005 and 2006) I could sum up
that his fight against anti-environment people, corrupt establishment etc
was genuine. He once said me that he was a natural fighter. He said he had
drug shop in Una, and that was the mode of his survival. While his employees
could look after the drug store, he could spare time to do activism.
RTI(Right to information), PIL(Public interest litigation), SMS(Short
messaging service), Email were Jethwa’s tools. He had organized a nature
lovers yatra in southern Saurashtra belt. Be it about saving marine turtles,
or Chinkara, lion, leopard, tree, birds or crocodile, Jethwa was there at
service in Kutch, Saurashtra and Ahmedabad. The elephant case I referred
above originated from Bharuch in central Gujarat. Jethwa had filed cases
against Salman Khan and Aamir Khan for alleged Chinkara killings. A case
against Aamir Khan is still going on in Gujarat High Court, and every
development in this regard was informed to us through SMS.
Amit Jethwa fought an election also on his own, but lost. Jethwa shifted his
base to Ahmedabad only some months back. He called me up and invited to have
tea at his new home in Ahmedabad. I sought his guidance about how to use RTI
as tool in my profession – journalism. Since then, I was not in touch with
him,barring just incoming smses and sometime email.
Just yesterday evening, I received Amit Jethwa’s SMS in my mobile phone:
“Gir Nature Youth Club ni rajuat bad 1 mahina pahela Junagadh Jilla na
Kodinar taluka ma Gir border area na Alidar-Sanvav road par Geology ane
police joint raid ma belastone kava ni machinery sahit no mudamal 6odavi
janara par FIR. Geologist Mr. Muley(Phone number) Kodinar Police(Phone
number)”
Translation of the SMS: After Gir Nature Youth Club’s representation, FIR
has filed against those who snatched away belastone cutting machinery and
other seized material that was captured during police and geology
department’s joint raid one month back on Alidar-Sanvav road of Gir border
area in Junagadh district’s Kodinar tauka. Geologist Mr. Muley(Phone number)
Kodinar Police(Phone number).
Reading this SMS, I thought for a moment that Jethwa had gone too far and
powerful mining lobby literally ‘uncontrollable’ in Saurashtra, will not
tolerate any disturbance in their work. And today evening I heard, he has
been killed by two unidentified persons on bike near Gujarat High Court.
Jethwa was on visit to Satyamev building to meet advocate. When he came out,
there were two persons waiting for him with Bajaj Discover bike(having
scooty number). Before Jethwa sat in his Gypsy car, he was shot dead. Even
after facing bullet injury, Jethwa tried to nab the culprits. Those who
fired, fled, leaving their bike and one desi pistol there. Jethwa died on
the spot and later was taken to nearby Sola hospital. Look at the irony, the
building at which Jethwa was killed was ‘Satyamev’. Just like Haren Pandya,
and Pankaj Trivedi, Jethwa didn’t keep weapon for self protection with him.
Ahmedabad Police has found a desi pistol on the spot and some rounds some
distance away. The investigation is on, but whatever happen now, we can’t
bring Amit the activist back. Amit was irreplaceable. He was a force, rare
in this time. He was not facebook or twitter or blogger activist, he was an
activist on ground equipped with all needed tools to fight for truth. His
murder is very shocking. He could do more for Gujarat. It’s a tremendous
loss.
 |
| lion-heart Amit Jethwa addressing a conference |
Point blank murder of activist Amit Jethwa is shocking news, and I am
personally shocked. Jethwa’s murder has shocked me to the level same as Haren
Pandya’s or Pankaj Trivedi’s murder.
Jethwa was amazing force by himself. I met him first time in year 2005 when
he called me for an exclusive and interesting elephant story. An elephant
with badly injured foot was treated cruelly in local circus and therefore
rescued by forest department thanks to efforts employed by Amit Jethwa.
Jethwa continued to be with the elephant till its proper relocation. After
the story published well in newspaper, Jethwa became my regular source. A
young tall well built Amit Jethwa was one single source for many journalists
like me wanting to know anything and everything about Gir forest. Jethwa was
one stop resource for any information regarding Gir forest and forest
department’s handling of affairs there. He had amazing grip over South
western Saurashtra areas, especially ecological and environment related
issues. He would SMS and inform all friend journalists when incident of wood
cutting, illegal mining, suspicious death of lion, leopard, forest fire etc
occur. We journalists use to have our own mechanism to rigorously check
whether our source is genuine or a blackmailer misusing us. Amit too passed
through this process, but every time(in year 2005 and 2006) I could sum up
that his fight against anti-environment people, corrupt establishment etc
was genuine. He once said me that he was a natural fighter. He said he had
drug shop in Una, and that was the mode of his survival. While his employees
could look after the drug store, he could spare time to do activism.
RTI(Right to information), PIL(Public interest litigation), SMS(Short
messaging service), Email were Jethwa’s tools. He had organized a nature
lovers yatra in southern Saurashtra belt. Be it about saving marine turtles,
or Chinkara, lion, leopard, tree, birds or crocodile, Jethwa was there at
service in Kutch, Saurashtra and Ahmedabad. The elephant case I referred
above originated from Bharuch in central Gujarat. Jethwa had filed cases
against Salman Khan and Aamir Khan for alleged Chinkara killings. A case
against Aamir Khan is still going on in Gujarat High Court, and every
development in this regard was informed to us through SMS.
Amit Jethwa fought an election also on his own, but lost. Jethwa shifted his
base to Ahmedabad only some months back. He called me up and invited to have
tea at his new home in Ahmedabad. I sought his guidance about how to use RTI
as tool in my profession – journalism. Since then, I was not in touch with
him,barring just incoming smses and sometime email.
Just yesterday evening, I received Amit Jethwa’s SMS in my mobile phone:
“Gir Nature Youth Club ni rajuat bad 1 mahina pahela Junagadh Jilla na
Kodinar taluka ma Gir border area na Alidar-Sanvav road par Geology ane
police joint raid ma belastone kava ni machinery sahit no mudamal 6odavi
janara par FIR. Geologist Mr. Muley(Phone number) Kodinar Police(Phone
number)”
Translation of the SMS: After Gir Nature Youth Club’s representation, FIR
has filed against those who snatched away belastone cutting machinery and
other seized material that was captured during police and geology
department’s joint raid one month back on Alidar-Sanvav road of Gir border
area in Junagadh district’s Kodinar tauka. Geologist Mr. Muley(Phone number)
Kodinar Police(Phone number).
Reading this SMS, I thought for a moment that Jethwa had gone too far and
powerful mining lobby literally ‘uncontrollable’ in Saurashtra, will not
tolerate any disturbance in their work. And today evening I heard, he has
been killed by two unidentified persons on bike near Gujarat High Court.
Jethwa was on visit to Satyamev building to meet advocate. When he came out,
there were two persons waiting for him with Bajaj Discover bike(having
scooty number). Before Jethwa sat in his Gypsy car, he was shot dead. Even
after facing bullet injury, Jethwa tried to nab the culprits. Those who
fired, fled, leaving their bike and one desi pistol there. Jethwa died on
the spot and later was taken to nearby Sola hospital. Look at the irony, the
building at which Jethwa was killed was ‘Satyamev’. Just like Haren Pandya,
and Pankaj Trivedi, Jethwa didn’t keep weapon for self protection with him.
Ahmedabad Police has found a desi pistol on the spot and some rounds some
distance away. The investigation is on, but whatever happen now, we can’t
bring Amit the activist back. Amit was irreplaceable. He was a force, rare
in this time. He was not facebook or twitter or blogger activist, he was an
activist on ground equipped with all needed tools to fight for truth. His
murder is very shocking. He could do more for Gujarat. It’s a tremendous
loss.
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