Karnataka - Madikeri   

‘Withdraw cases against tribal people’

Raising slogans: Tribal people staging a dharna in Madikeri on Friday.

Madikeri: Tribal people staged a dharna in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner here on Friday under the banner of Budakattu Krishikara Sangha (BKS) against filing of “false” cases against them by the Forest Department at Hanninathota Hadi near Maldare in Kodagu recently.

They urged the Deputy Commissioner to direct the department to withdraw the cases immediately.

Addressing the protestors, BKS president J.P. Raju alleged that cases had been booked against the tribal people for bringing to light illegal transport of teak logs from the forests near their hadi (settlement).

Some forest officials and staff were involved in it, he alleged. The department, instead of taking action against the staff and officers involved in illegal transport of teak logs, had booked cases against the tribal people. The BKS would intensify its struggle if cases were not withdrawn immediately.

The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers’ (Recognition of Rights) Act had come as a boon to the tribal people. But its implementation remained tardy in Kodagu. As per the Act, forest rights committee constituted at the gram panchayat-level would receive claims and forward them to the sub-divisional committee and in turn to the district committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner for approval of land to the tribal people wherever they lived in the forests, he said.

Mr. Raju said that certain members, who did not have any idea of rules and regulations under the Act, had been made members of the forest rights committee. They must be dropped and tribal people appointed in their place. The delay in disposing of the claims too should be done away with. The tribal people should be given community rights, he said.

Deputy Commissioner K.H. Ashwatha Narayana Gowda, who received a memorandum from the tribal people, promised them that he would ascertain the facts relating to booking of cases against the tribal people in Maldare before initiating action.

Leaders of the tribal people R.K. Chandra, Vasu, Kudiyara Muthappa and J.K. Ramu were present.

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