The Ganga Mukti Andolan (GMA) and Jal Shramik Sangha have been fighting to establish small scale fishing communities’ right to sustainably use the fish resources of river Ganga and also to protect those resources and river Ganga. They protested against the illegal encroachments of mafia and landlords on the river Ganga and its tributaries. They raised their voice against Dolphin Sanctuary established without their consent or consultation, which has turned into a ploy to fleece the poor fishers by the forest guards. They objected to the erection of Farakka Dam that severely affected the ecology and flow of the river Ganga. They also opposed use of mosquito and cloth nets to save juvenile fish. They demand that the Ganga and its tributaries should be free of encroachment and the fisher folk should get their free fishing rights, and that the use of mosquito and cloth nets must be prohibited. They also intimated the authorities of the need of police patrolling on river stretches for the safety of fishers as the mafias attack and rob the poor fishers while fishing. Several meetings have been organized to discuss these issues with the local authorities. Every time the authorities promised that that they would look into the matter and take stringent measures. However, no action was taken. The fisheries department auctioned different areas but the river mafias control the lease process and they prevent the traditional fishers from fishing in the leased out stretches by putting barriers around the area. Many fishermen have been brutally murdered for opposing this coercion. They are threatened by the water mafias that they may again face bloodshed as last year when seven fishermen were murdered including Balram Sahni. The fisher people placed the following demands and held a Jal Satyagraha Non violent Protest Demonstration in the waters of river Ganga at Kagzi Tola, Kahelgaon on 28th September from 10 am to 1.30 pm. Hundreds of fisher people, men and women, old and young, stayed in the waters of river Ganga to highlight the demands of the fishing communities. The Demands: 1. Implement in totality the free fishing rights bill passed in 1991. 2. Action should be taken against Jal Mafia and criminals who illegally siege the fishing nets and traps in the river and encroach tributaries of rivers. 3. For averting the brutal killing of fishermen in future, police patrolling should be arranged immediately. 4. Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary should be withdrawn. 5. Illegal settlement at Champalal should be cancelled immediately.