The Hindu : National : Gujarat tribals on the warpath, to protest against "harassment" by authorities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 06, 2006

National

National

Gujarat tribals on the warpath, to protest against "harassment" by authorities

Manas Dasgupta

To launch State-level agitation in districts, talukas demanding better treatment

AHMEDABAD: Tribals in Gujarat will launch a State-level agitation from Monday to protest against their alleged harassment by forest and police officials and to press for the early passage of the proposed Central bill recognising their rights over forestlands.

The agitation, under the aegis of the Gujarat Adivasi Mahasabha, the umbrella organisation of 43 voluntary bodies working for the welfare of tribals in the State, would be held in different district and taluka headquarters. It would highlight the `intimidation' of illiterate tribals by officials, Mahasabha secretary Dinesh Parmar and leader Xavier Manjuran said.

Atrocities not new

"Thousands of Adivasis will sit in front of the divisional forest officials in different districts and offer themselves to be beaten up. We will tell the foresters that there is no need to come all the way to our villages to beat us up, we are here and you can perform your duty right here," Fr. Manjuran said.

He said the `atrocities' on tribals were not new but they had increased since the UPA Government agreed to recognise their rightsover forestlands and proposed to adopt a bill to this effect in Parliament.

Fr. Manjuran listed the abuses suffered by tribals: they were beaten up mercilessly, their crops burnt down, their houses destroyed, false complaints registered against them after which they were put behind bars, and their women molested. He said in none of the cases, had the police agreed to register complaints or take any action against the guilty.

Several tribals also narrated their plight before the media.

Beaten up

Monuben Gadar of Moti Davas village in Dangs district said on July 20 this year, she and 10 other tribal women were "mercilessly beaten up" by about 150 forest officials and were "thrown into a nearby checkdam." They had to be admitted to hospital with multiple injuries, but police refused to register a case against the forest staff.

"Loot and plunder"

Fr. Manjuran wondered why the Forest Act, originally enacted in 1865 by the then British Government "only to loot and plunder the rich forest wealth by driving out the tribals," was not only not scrapped by the Government after independence, but some of the provisions were made even more stringent. Thus tribals were deprived of forestlands, which supply their livelihood.

Quoting Union Environment Ministry reports, he said while the Government so far had granted exemption to forestlands for mining and other industrial uses to the tune of 11.33 lakh hectares, the total land required for giving tilling rights to the one crore strong tribal community in the country would be about 12 lakh hectares.

He said despite stringent laws, the forest cover in the country had decreased from 40 per cent in 1950 to 19 per cent. It has also been proved that tribals living in forests protect its wealth rather than destroy it.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National