The Kali river in North Karnataka is no stranger to dams. The river flows a relatively short course of under 200 kilometers before meeting the Arabian Sea.
Enter the Kali Bachao Andolan and it’s spearhead Ajit Nayak. The late Ajit Nayak!
The lawyer turned activist fought the damning of the river and the discharge of industrial effluents into the Kali in much the same way as Medha Patkar did (Narmada Bachao Andolan); albeit on a much smaller scale.
He was fighting to preserve the fragile riverine eco-system which provided subsistence living for many of North Karnataka’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.
Nayak was reportedly ambushed and slain by assailants in the picturesque tourist town of Dandeli on last Friday, July 27, 2018. He was 58 years old. Nayak had also served as President of the Dandeli Municipal Council.
If and how the Kali is connected to his death is pending investigation. It has however been reported that advocates in the Uttara/North Karnataka districts of Karwar, and Sirsi boycotted courts on the day following his alleged murder.
The Dandeli police told Bar & Bench that special teams had been formed to nab those suspected of having murdered Nayak, but no arrests have been made by the police yet.