Violent evictions in Nagarahole: Forest department razes adivasi huts despite FRA protections

By A Representative

In a disturbing escalation of tensions between state authorities and Adivasi communities in the Nagarahole forests, over 250 personnel from the Forest Department, Special Tiger Protection Force, and local police violently demolished six huts belonging to Jenu Kuruba Adivasi families in Karadikallu Atturu Koli Haadi on June 18. The demolition took place in the midst of heavy monsoon rains, leaving families exposed to the elements and stripped of their temporary homes.

The Karadikallu residents had returned to their ancestral land on May 5 this year, more than four decades after being forcibly evicted without compensation. Their return was an assertion of their rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. Despite a Gram Sabha resolution passed on May 20 recognizing the need to construct shelters for safety during the monsoon, the Forest Department issued a last-minute eviction notice on the night of June 17—invoking sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972—and executed the demolition the very next afternoon.

Witnesses report that access to the village was blocked by forest and police vehicles, preventing other Jenu Kuruba villagers from joining in solidarity. When Karadikallu residents sought a dialogue, officials diverted and entered from the rear, dismantling huts without allowing families adequate time to respond. In the process, women who protested were physically assaulted, dragged away, and verbally abused. Several reportedly suffered injuries.

“This is our ancestral homeland, and we have lived here for generations. How can we be called encroachers?” asked an elder and shaman of the Karadikallu village. “It is a travesty of justice that our rights are being arbitrarily rejected.”

Forest authorities later attempted to justify the raid, claiming only newer tents were removed and that 42 trees had been cut down. Community members and supporting organizations, however, dismissed these as “blatant lies,” noting the arbitrary nature of the claim and accusing the authorities of fabricating evidence to legitimize their actions.

Decades of Dispossession

The Jenu Kuruba families had originally lived in Karadikallu but were evicted at gunpoint in the name of conservation. Elephants were used to destroy their paddy fields, and their homes were torched. No rehabilitation or compensation was provided, pushing them into bonded labor in nearby coffee estates.

Since the FRA came into force in 2006, the families have filed multiple claims for recognition of Individual and Community Forest Rights. A joint government survey conducted in October 2024 verified their claims using GPS, yet recognition has been delayed. Instead, on May 22, the Sub-Divisional Level Committee rejected all 52 claims, arguing that satellite imagery from 1985 did not show the village’s existence—a move activists say is illegal under FRA rules and court rulings.

The families have already submitted other substantial evidence including ration cards, school certificates, and testimonies from elders. Burial sites and sacred spaces still exist at the location. According to FRA guidelines and a 2013 Gujarat High Court judgment, such evidence must be considered and satellite imagery alone cannot be the basis for rejection.

Mounting Resistance

The demolition is being widely condemned by Adivasi rights networks across India, who argue the Forest Department is acting with impunity and in contempt of both legal and moral obligations.

“This is not just a human rights violation—it is an attack on constitutional protections afforded to Scheduled Tribes,” said representatives from the National Adivasi Alliance and the Nagarahole Adivasi Jammapale Hakku Sthapana Samiti, who issued the joint press release. “Instead of recognizing long-overdue rights, the state is deploying violent force against some of the most marginalized citizens.”

Community leaders have vowed to appeal the rejection of their claims at the District Level Committee. They also continue to assert that the declaration of Nagarahole as a Tiger Reserve without community consent is itself illegal, in violation of both FRA and the Wildlife Protection Act.

As the monsoon intensifies, the displaced families remain without shelter, but firm in their resolve to reclaim their land and dignity.

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