PUDR accuse MP officials for evicting tribals from their land

Last Updated: Tuesday, September 08, 2009, 17:48

Tags: MP, PUDR accuse MP officials, evicting tribals

Bhopal: People's Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi on Tuesday charged the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department officials of beating and forcibly evicting the tribals from their land in Harda district.

"The MP Forest Department officials were beating tribals and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dweller (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 isn't being implemented properly in state," PUDR secretary Moushumi Basu told reporters here, after visiting Harda.

She said that she along with three other members of the PUDR visited Harda, after reports that the tribals were being beaten and denied their rights under the Forest Rights Act 2006.

Basu alleged that the tribals were being attacked, detained and arrested in villages Dhega and Uncharbarari in Harda.

To press her point, she said that a 15-year-old girl tribal Sunita Korku was badly beaten up and put into a vehicle by the forest guards while she was working in her field in village Dhega on July 13.

Sunita was beaten up by forest officials who claimed that the land belong to their department, she claimed.

The Forest Rights Act clearly states that tribals cultivating lands prior to December 13, 2005 should be granted title deeds for it and the forest department should not evict them till the process of verification is completed, Basu said.

Tribals were being forcibly evicted from the lands which they are cultivating for a long time in Harda, PUDR member Harish Dhawan said.

He said that they are going to petition the Centre and State government over the forest officials excesses on the tribals and unjust implementation of the Forest Rights Act in Madhya Pradesh.

Bureau Report

First Published: Tuesday, September 08, 2009, 17:48

Comments

Somesh Anand - Delhi
Exploitation of tribals by forest officials has been going on for long. At many places tribals and local people are still on aware of their rights under The Forest Rights Act, 2006. So the role civil society groups like Shramik Adivasi Sanghtan becomes very important and is commendable, as they provide awareness to tribal about their rights and also help voice of these helpless tribals spread and reach the concerned people. These are the issues that media should also take up so that public opinion can be generated against the wrong being done to these marginalized people..

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Ashutosh Kranti - Dumraon, Bihar
this is really a very serious issue. i think central government and supreme court should directly intervene in the matter. such action is really same full. it is a non-humanitarian act of MP forest government officials. its a same full event. people should not marginalized or displaced from their lands. i totally condemn such missbehaviour and acts. thanks to Indrajit Jha for putting our attention on such issue.

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arif Ishtiyaque - Dept of Urdu, Delhi University.
I am agree with Indrajeet. This is really a serious issue. The Center and state government should take immediate action against those forest officials who have violated the rules.

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Indrajeet Kr. Jha - Dept of Political Science, DU.
This is a serious issue raised by PUDR. In July, 2007 the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh had asked tribals and other forest dwellers cultivating forest land for years not to give up their land, since they would be allotted land rights. But the forest department is violating the rules. The forest department has also imposed many false case on the poor tribals, the department also trying to impose the case of destroying public property, which is related to the Criminal Procedure code, by which they can`t take bail. This is the violation of the decision of the high court of Madhya Pradesh. According to this judgement the forest department can`t make the cases under the section 3 and 4 of the prevention of damage to public property Act( See the judgement Anand kumar Goneka v State of MP, 2001). But the forest department has arrested many persons under this act by which the case became Non-bailable. We should appreciate the work of Shramik Adivasi Sanghtan, which has raised the issues related to the genuine demands of workers. The forest department and the police are targeting the activists of this organisation also. This is also a serious issue. So, The center and State government should setup a independent inquiry committee and insure the rights of tribals and dalits who are residing and cultivating the land in the forest areas. Only then the forest right act, 2006 would be implemented in true sense.