Adivasis under attack, asserts global NGO IPMSDL, as India gets first tribal President

By A Representative
Stating that adivasis, tribal and indigenous peoples are “under attack” in India, the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), a top global NGO has said, it stands with them “in their struggle for justice.”
In a media communique, released amidst India choosing its first adivasi President, Droupadi Murmu, it said, “Everyday attacks, criminalization and oppression towards tribal communities, adivasi, especially tribal women and girls, most of them unreported, are a daily occurrence.”
Offering specific instances of attacks, quoting a report, IPMSDL, whose headquarters are in Phillipines, said, “A tribal woman from the Guna district in Madhya Pradesh was burned alive by a group of men allegedly encroaching on their family’s agricultural land. Rampyari Bai belonged to the Saharia tribe, a tribe classified under the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PTVGs).”
Yet another report pointed to how “powerful men” threatened to grab the land awarded to them under the welfare scheme of the former Digvijay Singh government. The perpetrators attacked Rampyari Bai, poured diesel over her, and lit her alive.
“Videos of the victim burning had been circulating on social media platforms. Reports said the land grabbing and threats were already reported to the police but no action was taken. The victim Rampyari has succumbed to her injuries”, IPMSDL said.
Stating that “the brutal incident gained outpouring condemnation making the #TribalsNotSafeInIndia trend over social media”, the global NGO asserted, “The past, present and continuing atrocities committed against tribals, adivasis and indigenous peoples in India ranging from issues of land dispossession, lethal attacks and discrimination against their indigeneity, social class or caste, were brought to the fore.”
Quoting statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau point to increased cases of atrocities committed against Scheduled Tribes, IPMSDL said, “There are only 705 indigenous peoples that the State of India legally recognized as part of the Scheduled Tribes”, regretting, “Many more ethnic groups in India are without official recognition.”
“As such, there are many unregistered cases of attacks against Indigenous Peoples in these official data”, said IPMSDL, adding, “The International Work Group for Indigenous affairs raised concerns over official reports stating that these reports do not include cases of human rights violations by security forces.”
According to IPMSDL, “Security forces continue to violate indigenous peoples’ rights in Central and Northeast India.” Thus, in Madhya Pradesh the “forest department forcefully evicted the Bhil and Barela Adivasi communities in the Khwanda district, in July 2021, without prior notice and in clear violation of the Forest Rights Act.”

Then, “In Nagaland, Northeast India, 13 Indigenous Naga civilians were killed by security forces on December 04, 2021, under the auspices of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which has enabled the continuing abuse of Indigenous Peoples by the armed forces.”
Further, “In Chhattisgarh, Adivasi communities continue to resist the state government’s plan to reduce 840 acres of the Hasdeo Arand forest for coal mining activities to address coal shortage reports. This plan will effectively displace around 10,000 Adivasis and destroy their lives and livelihood.”
“According to Alok Shukla of the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan organization, more than 450,000 trees will be cut, severely impacting the area’s wildlife and biodiversity”, IPMSDL said.
It added, “Although the Hasdeo Arand forest, a biodiversity-rich reserve, was initially classified as a “no-go area” for coal mining by the Ministry of Coal and the Ministry of Forest and Environment in 2010, the state forest department has begun cutting trees for the second phase of mining for the Parsa coal mine project.”
However, it lamented, despite the fact that the “struggles of the indigenous peoples of India have become more apparent as cases of land rights violation and abuse of indigenous peoples increase, news and media coverage of these incidents are still lacking.”
Expressing solidarity with the fight for rights of India's indigenous peoples, IPMSDL said the environmental and climate issues are linked with the manner in which forests and ancestral lands are being “targeted and encroached upon by state forces and corporations for resource plunder.”
Insisting on the need to build a movement in solidarity to “all the adivasi groups, tribal and indigenous communities in India”, it said, against the continuing attacks on them, “Our most potent action is our capacity to assert and resist as a unified community of indigenous peoples rights defenders in holding accountable oppressive states, imperialist, and corporate instruments of rights violations.”

Comments

Countrywide protest by gig workers puts spotlight on algorithmic exploitation

By A Representative A nationwide protest led largely by women gig and platform workers was held across several states on February 3, with the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) claiming the mobilisation as a success and a strong assertion of workers’ rights against what it described as widespread exploitation by digital platform companies. Demonstrations took place in Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and other states, covering major cities including New Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Mumbai, along with multiple districts across the country.

CFA flags ‘welfare retreat’ in Union Budget 2026–27, alleges corporate bias

By Jag Jivan The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has sharply criticised the Union Budget 2026–27 , calling it a “budget sans kartavya” that weakens public welfare while favouring private corporations, even as inequality, climate risks and social distress deepen across the country.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

'Gandhi Talks': Cinema that dares to be quiet, where music, image and silence speak

By Vikas Meshram In today’s digital age, where reels and short videos dominate attention spans, watching a silent film for over two hours feels almost like an act of resistance. Directed by Kishor Pandurang Belekar, “Gandhi Talks” is a bold cinematic experiment that turns silence into language and wordlessness into a powerful storytelling device. The film is not mere entertainment; it is an experience that pushes the viewer inward, compelling reflection on life, values, and society.

From water scarcity to sustainable livelihoods: The turnaround of Salaiya Maaf

By Bharat Dogra We were sitting at a central place in Salaiya Maaf village, located in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, for a group discussion when an elderly woman said in an emotional voice, “It is so good that you people came. Land on which nothing grew can now produce good crops.”

The Epstein shock, global power games and India’s foreign policy dilemma

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The “Epstein” tsunami has jolted establishments everywhere. Politicians, bureaucrats, billionaires, celebrities, intellectuals, academics, religious gurus, and preachers—all appear to be under scrutiny, even dismantled. At first glance, it may seem like a story cutting across left, right, centre, Democrats, Republicans, socialists, capitalists—every label one can think of. Much of it, of course, is gossip, as people seek solace in the possible inclusion of names they personally dislike.

Paper guarantees, real hardship: How budget 2026–27 abandons rural India

By Vikas Meshram In the history of Indian democracy, the Union government’s annual budget has always carried great significance. However, the 2026–27 budget raises several alarming concerns for rural India. In particular, the vague provisions of the VBG–Ram Ji scheme and major changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) have put the future of rural workers at risk. A deeper reading of the budget reveals that these changes are not merely administrative but are closely tied to political and economic priorities that will have far-reaching consequences for millions of rural households.

Gujarat No 1 in Govt of India pushed report? Not in labour, infrastructure, economy

By Rajiv Shah A report by a top Delhi-based think tank, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), prepared under the direct leadership of Amitabh Kant, ex-secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Government of India, has claims that Gujarat ranks No 1 in the NCAER State Investment Potential Index (N-SIPI), though there is a dig. N-SIPI has been divided into two separate indices. The first one includes five “pillars” based on which the index has been arrived it. These pillars are: labour, infrastructure, economic conditions, political stability and governance, and perceptions of a good business climate. It is called N-SIPI 21, as it includes a survey of 21 states out of 29.

Michael Parenti: Scholar known for critiques of capitalism and U.S. foreign policy

By Harsh Thakor* Michael Parenti, an American political scientist, historian, and author known for his Marxist and anti-imperialist perspectives, died on January 24 at the age of 92. Over several decades, Parenti wrote and lectured extensively on issues of capitalism, imperialism, democracy, media, and U.S. foreign policy. His work consistently challenged dominant political and economic narratives, particularly those associated with Western liberal democracies and global capitalism.

Search This Blog