Skip to main content

Madhya Pradesh Adivasis protest govt move to displace 8,000 people, allow diamond mining

By A Representative 

Over 3,000 Adivasis reportedly stormed the Khandwa collectorate in Madhya Pradesh (MP) in order to “teach” law to district administration and officials responsible for “illegal evictions and assault on Adivasi families”. NGO sources said, the raid took place under the banned of the Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS), which staged a demonstration against the forest department and the district administration (DC), Khandwa.
According JADS, enraged Adivasis made their way to the DC office via the DFO office and the MP Forest Development Corporation District Office, where the forest department had “illegally assaulted” and “confined” three Adivasis who were picked up during the “illegal eviction action” of the Forest Department on July 10, 2021. The three Adivasis were “illegally detained” for over 10 hours.
Calling it a “hypocrisy of the forest department and the State government illegally evicting Adivasis in the name of protecting forests”, JADAS said, this happened even as the MP government “plans to handover 382 hectares of forest to fell at least 2.15 lakh trees and displace over 8,000 people for the sake of diamond mining in a region infamous for drought and water scarcity.”
The protesters opposed “loot and dacoity” of 40 Adivasi families overseen by the forest department during their “illegal eviction drive”, said JADS, adding, “Many Adivasi activists who have been demanding action on illegal felling highlighted the connivance of the forest department with timber smugglers and those involved in illegal felling of trees while the forest department continuously makes Adivasis scapegoats of the same.”
“Raising slogans of ‘Adivasi hai toh jungle hai’, ‘jungle hai toh adivasi hai’, ‘Van vibhag ki Tanashahi nahi chalegi’, protesting Adivasis also warned the adminstration that further violence by the administration will only force Adivasis to escalate their movement against the violence by the forest department”, JADS said in a statement.

Comments

TRENDING

Bihar’s land at ₹1 per acre for Adani sparks outrage, NAPM calls it crony capitalism

By A Representative   The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has strongly condemned the Bihar government’s decision to lease 1,050 acres of land in Pirpainti, Bhagalpur district, to Adani Power for a 2,400 MW coal-based thermal power project. 

Crowdfunding, a way to earn fast buck on the net, catches up among IT savvy Gujarati middle class youth

By Satyakam Mehta Crowdfunding, an internet-based practice of collecting money for small projects or ventures by raising small amounts from large number of individuals, is picking up as a craze in Gujarat’s penny-wise IT savvy youngsters. While many consider it as a way to earn a fast buck, one just needs to upload a project idea on a crowdfunding website, explain its concept, specify the funding you require, and just wait for individuals to transfer money to your bank account.

Gharapuri's discoveries: India finds a maritime past, ASI an app

By Gajanan Khergamker  The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has once again demonstrated an extraordinary talent for mistaking administrative housekeeping for institutional achievement. At the very moment excavations at Gharapuri are yielding evidence that could fundamentally reshape our understanding of India's maritime past, the institution has chosen to celebrate the rollout of QR-enabled audio guides and GPS-supported navigation at its monuments. The contrast could not be starker.