Gaura Devi and the women of Reni went to the forest when the contractors' labourers arrived to fell trees. Which of the following describes how the confrontation ended?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → The labourers were forced to retire when the women refused to budge
Option (1) The women were removed and the felling of the Reni forest went ahead — Incorrect. The women were not removed. They held their ground, and it was the labourers who had to leave without felling the trees.
Option (2) The government cancelled the auction of the Reni plot before felling began — Incorrect. The auction was never cancelled. The government went ahead with the yearly auction of forests in November, and the Reni forest was one of the plots assigned.
Option (3) The labourers were forced to retire when the women refused to budge — Correct. The women first met abuse and threats from the labourers. Because they refused to budge, the men were finally forced to retire, so the felling did not take place.
Option (4) The labourers left after forest officials ordered a halt to the felling — Incorrect. No forest official stepped in to stop the work. The firm stand of the women themselves made the labourers turn back.
NCERT (2026-27): “8.4 Ecological Movements … |