By TCN News,
New Delhi: The Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) in collaboration with some civil rights groups organized a protest rally at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday demanding Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to have a strong and firm stand in favour of the ban on Endosulfan pesticide at the coming Stockholm Convention.
“It is a matter of surprise and grief that more than 80 countries during the 6th meeting of Stockholm Convention banned the manufacture, sales and use of Endosulfan due to its ill effects, India opposed this move” said PM Salih, Secretary General of SIO, while addressing the rally.
He further said “We demand that the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh should take a firm stand and favour the ban of Endosulfan”.
Others who addressed the rally include Prof. A.K. Ramakrishnan, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Rama Pillai from the Greenpeace Foundation, Mohd. Akhlaq of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, Ravi Agarwal from Toxicon Link, Adv. Shakir Jamil, P. K. Noufal of the Solidarity Youth Movement, Kerala and Anis-ur-Rahman, Zonal President, SIO Delhi.
JNU Prof. A.K. Ramakrishnan addressing the demonstrators with PM Salih, Secretary General of SIO (on his right) and others
Later, a memorandum was submitted to the Prime Minister along with 1 lakh signatures collected from the Indian expatriates in Saudi Arabia by Thanima Kala Samskarika Vedi in favour of banning Endosulfan.
The protest was jointly organized by Solidarity Youth Movement – Kerala, Students Islamic Organisation of India, Association for Protection of Civil Rights and Delhi Malayali Solidarity.