ABSTRACT
The Kashipur anti-mining movement received unwavering support only from a few human rights activists. The activists act individually or form loosely held small groups with no rigid hierarchy. The state, NGOs and ‘development’ were all subjected to ruthless criticism by the activists. Mining would change the quality of land, and it might be impossible to restore land fertility when the mining companies fold up their operations and leave the area. The activists had been routinely asked about their legal locus standi and had to face the allegation of being outsiders who instigated ‘innocent and gullible villagers’. As a corollary of the critique of the ‘development’ and the state, NGOs became a target of criticism. The activists attempted to delegitimise the state’s authority through the production, dissemination and circulation of ‘facts’ and counter-narratives of ‘ground-level reality’. The “law struggles” reinforce the hegemony of the right to private property, which becomes the bargaining chip in the contestation over possession and eviction.
