Yesterday, thousands of people paid homage to Tabrez Sayekar, who fell to police bullets on April 18 last year while protesting the construction of a 9,900 MW nuclear power plant in Jaitapur.
The locals also named the junction of Sakhri-Nate village after him. Incidentally, the junction is the very place where Sayekar was shot at and now it will be known as Saheed Tabrez Sayekar Chowk.
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The board at the Saheed Tabrez Sayekar Chowk read that Tabrez’s death would not go waste. “His (Tabrez’s) death will serve as a source of inspiration for people and will motivate them to participate in the movement,” the board read. “We won’t forget Tabrez sacrifice and will fight till our last breath,” said Amjad Borkar, an activist.
The villages also took a day off from work to participate in the event. “The crowd was more than we expected. This indicates that people are becoming aware of the movement and willing to join in,” Borkar said. Although it was an emotional gathering, the villagers utilised the opportunity by brainstorming to find ways to take the movement ahead.
“I think we'll have to go to every village and people understand how dreadful the nuclear plant will prove for the locals,” said Vaishali Patil, an activist. She also hinted at carrying out yatras across villages and urging people to join them.u00a0