We don’t need lukewarm acceptance
There can be no gainsaying the fact that, injustice engulfed the Santhals (Indigenous people) in every nook and corner of India. One can easily establish the validity of incidents from recent past. Public humiliation including rape, police firing to unarmed, illegal land acquisition, illegal eviction and labeling them as extremist are few to name them. The collection of rules imposed by authority violates Santhal’s rights and their rights over water, forest and land (jal, jangal, jamin) are ignored. By knowing through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; when oppressed Santhals demanded the freedom in so called democratic country, they are being charged with different IPC Sections and labeled as Anti National, Maoist and extremist.
In the midst of darkness, Santhals (Adivasis as whole) are helpless to express their grudges even in day light. Political, social and economic leaders from same community failed to fulfill the expectation of common masses. As they betrayed when achieved desired position or monetary benefits provoked them to serve as puppet of oppressor political or administrative power. Few torch bearers are being constitutionally ruled out, branded and segregated. Others are humiliated in several public forums in order to keep them speechless. Now the intriguing question to answer is that how to go about the step leads to Santhal’s development. As we know from past experiences, Santhals hopes had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon.
To prove valedictory contribution, let’s examine the properties attributed by Santhal’s ancestry. Santhal’s rebel leaders Sidhu, kanhu, Chand and Bhairo on June 30, 1855 had organized opposition to British authority. In other words we can say that, a conflict against corrupt Usury system and their operatives. Birsa Munda challenged the agrarian breakdown and culture change of property rights imposed by British in 1874. Santhals have many unfold stories to disclose.
But not a single brave Santhal struggle against the British has been treated as part of the "National" Struggle for Independence. Adivasi heroes like Sidhu, Kanhu, Birsa Munda, Khazya Naik, Tantya Bhil, Lakshman Naik, Rupa Naik, Thamal Dora, Ambul Reddi, Thalakkal Chandu
etc are only recapture in the songs and folklore of the Adivasis but ignored in every possible manner.
After the transfer of power from British, Santhals dominated areas were left unattended. Santhals and other tribals at large in the central part of India where they were preoccupied with their own survival, the picture was different in the north-east because of the historic and material conditions.
After India got Independence from British, Santhals were restricted in scheduled area left neglected and unattended. After 62 years of independence, Santhals are struggling to achieve two square of meal in their ancestral land. So far no body offered him a landing ears and helping hands. In this critical situation Santhals as whole are in a crossroad.
Let’s examine other aspect of realism. In term of occupancy, total forest cover in India is reported to be 765.21 thousand sq. kms of which 71% are in Adivasi areas. Of these 416.52 and 223.30 thousand sq. kms are categorized as reserved and protected forests respectively. About 23% of these are further declared as Wild Life Sanctuaries and National Parks which alone has displaced some half a million Adivasis. By the process of colonization of the forests that began formally with the Forest Act of 1864, Indian Forest Act of 1927and finally the The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, the rights of Adivasis were reduced to mere privileges conferred by the state.
Recent uprising in different part of country for example in Nagpur, tribal and forest dwellers' condemned the assaults by forest department and declared that the struggle for people's control over resources in forest product. In Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh, several people have died since the beginning of last year in the violence unleashed by forest authorities against the communities of the area. In Jagatsinghpur and Niyamgiri, Orissa, the tenacity of people’s resistance against illegal attempts to grab their resources has been matched on only by the brutality of state repression and the sheer brazenness of the Central government's illegal actions in behalf of POSCO and Vedanta. In Mudumalai, Tamil Nadu, an ongoing and expanding people’s struggle against resource grabs in the name of tiger conservation has been met with bribes, threats and the ever-present possibilities of violence. And across the country, from Gujarat to West Bengal, from Rajasthan to Andra Pradesh, Orissa,
Assam, and in Jharkhand the forest Act, only Adivasis have been violated at every level of the state machinery. Act of Forest authorities illegally suppressing people's rights, Suppression of democratic control over resources, Illegal grabbing of forest land by corporate and government agencies, Utilizing wildlife conservation to legitimize resource grabbing field are only subject of Adivasi’s forest land.
Other methods of deserting the Santhal’s forest land adopted by the crooked administration are manmade IDPs(The latest world refugee survey put the total number of IDPs in India as 507,000; the Indian social institute in Delhi and Global IDP Project place it as 21.3 million), eviction, ethnic cleansing, forced migration, developmental induced displacement without proper rehabilitation. These are nothing but bureaucratic restrictions on Santhal's rights and gross human right violation. And as we know India has no national policy and legal institutional framework to deal with IDPs. Due to absence of national policy on resettlement and rehabilitation of IDPs, there have been only piecemeal and ad hoc initiatives at every level. And displaces due to land acquisition ministry of rural development does not deal with other short of displacement.
Critically government accountability for the consequences of state-imposed displacement has been virtually absent. Despite of national policy for rehabilitation which include the rehabilitation coverage the entire community (landless, labourers, landholder, houseless, householders, unemployed and forest dweller), their socio-cultural cost of displacement and economic dimensions (upgrading of skills, accumulation of physical assets and social capital).
In my opinion, with the sub-human treatment and no alternative left in hands of Santhal’s except to prepare for direct action, whereby we belong to particular community need to present our bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and the National community. Demand for the proper look after in terms of any sort of displacement, accountability of expenditure for Santhal’s development, basic necessity of living including health and proper education system in Adivasis areas are the few focused idea to be taken care of by government.
As of now we are aware of the fact that, “laws is just on its face and unjust in its application”. Recent statement by Prime Minister of India on conference of Chief Ministers and State Ministers of Tribal Affairs is the clear confession of rejection of Santhal community and Adivasi
community as a whole. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. Either administration has to provide required attention to segregated Santhals or shall face the consequences in term of not anticipated activities. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
There can be no gainsaying the fact that, injustice engulfed the Santhals (Indigenous people) in every nook and corner of India. One can easily establish the validity of incidents from recent past. Public humiliation including rape, police firing to unarmed, illegal land acquisition, illegal eviction and labeling them as extremist are few to name them. The collection of rules imposed by authority violates Santhal’s rights and their rights over water, forest and land (jal, jangal, jamin) are ignored. By knowing through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; when oppressed Santhals demanded the freedom in so called democratic country, they are being charged with different IPC Sections and labeled as Anti National, Maoist and extremist.
In the midst of darkness, Santhals (Adivasis as whole) are helpless to express their grudges even in day light. Political, social and economic leaders from same community failed to fulfill the expectation of common masses. As they betrayed when achieved desired position or monetary benefits provoked them to serve as puppet of oppressor political or administrative power. Few torch bearers are being constitutionally ruled out, branded and segregated. Others are humiliated in several public forums in order to keep them speechless. Now the intriguing question to answer is that how to go about the step leads to Santhal’s development. As we know from past experiences, Santhals hopes had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon.
To prove valedictory contribution, let’s examine the properties attributed by Santhal’s ancestry. Santhal’s rebel leaders Sidhu, kanhu, Chand and Bhairo on June 30, 1855 had organized opposition to British authority. In other words we can say that, a conflict against corrupt Usury system and their operatives. Birsa Munda challenged the agrarian breakdown and culture change of property rights imposed by British in 1874. Santhals have many unfold stories to disclose.
But not a single brave Santhal struggle against the British has been treated as part of the "National" Struggle for Independence. Adivasi heroes like Sidhu, Kanhu, Birsa Munda, Khazya Naik, Tantya Bhil, Lakshman Naik, Rupa Naik, Thamal Dora, Ambul Reddi, Thalakkal Chandu
etc are only recapture in the songs and folklore of the Adivasis but ignored in every possible manner.
After the transfer of power from British, Santhals dominated areas were left unattended. Santhals and other tribals at large in the central part of India where they were preoccupied with their own survival, the picture was different in the north-east because of the historic and material conditions.
After India got Independence from British, Santhals were restricted in scheduled area left neglected and unattended. After 62 years of independence, Santhals are struggling to achieve two square of meal in their ancestral land. So far no body offered him a landing ears and helping hands. In this critical situation Santhals as whole are in a crossroad.
Let’s examine other aspect of realism. In term of occupancy, total forest cover in India is reported to be 765.21 thousand sq. kms of which 71% are in Adivasi areas. Of these 416.52 and 223.30 thousand sq. kms are categorized as reserved and protected forests respectively. About 23% of these are further declared as Wild Life Sanctuaries and National Parks which alone has displaced some half a million Adivasis. By the process of colonization of the forests that began formally with the Forest Act of 1864, Indian Forest Act of 1927and finally the The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, the rights of Adivasis were reduced to mere privileges conferred by the state.
Recent uprising in different part of country for example in Nagpur, tribal and forest dwellers' condemned the assaults by forest department and declared that the struggle for people's control over resources in forest product. In Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh, several people have died since the beginning of last year in the violence unleashed by forest authorities against the communities of the area. In Jagatsinghpur and Niyamgiri, Orissa, the tenacity of people’s resistance against illegal attempts to grab their resources has been matched on only by the brutality of state repression and the sheer brazenness of the Central government's illegal actions in behalf of POSCO and Vedanta. In Mudumalai, Tamil Nadu, an ongoing and expanding people’s struggle against resource grabs in the name of tiger conservation has been met with bribes, threats and the ever-present possibilities of violence. And across the country, from Gujarat to West Bengal, from Rajasthan to Andra Pradesh, Orissa,
Assam, and in Jharkhand the forest Act, only Adivasis have been violated at every level of the state machinery. Act of Forest authorities illegally suppressing people's rights, Suppression of democratic control over resources, Illegal grabbing of forest land by corporate and government agencies, Utilizing wildlife conservation to legitimize resource grabbing field are only subject of Adivasi’s forest land.
Other methods of deserting the Santhal’s forest land adopted by the crooked administration are manmade IDPs(The latest world refugee survey put the total number of IDPs in India as 507,000; the Indian social institute in Delhi and Global IDP Project place it as 21.3 million), eviction, ethnic cleansing, forced migration, developmental induced displacement without proper rehabilitation. These are nothing but bureaucratic restrictions on Santhal's rights and gross human right violation. And as we know India has no national policy and legal institutional framework to deal with IDPs. Due to absence of national policy on resettlement and rehabilitation of IDPs, there have been only piecemeal and ad hoc initiatives at every level. And displaces due to land acquisition ministry of rural development does not deal with other short of displacement.
Critically government accountability for the consequences of state-imposed displacement has been virtually absent. Despite of national policy for rehabilitation which include the rehabilitation coverage the entire community (landless, labourers, landholder, houseless, householders, unemployed and forest dweller), their socio-cultural cost of displacement and economic dimensions (upgrading of skills, accumulation of physical assets and social capital).
In my opinion, with the sub-human treatment and no alternative left in hands of Santhal’s except to prepare for direct action, whereby we belong to particular community need to present our bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and the National community. Demand for the proper look after in terms of any sort of displacement, accountability of expenditure for Santhal’s development, basic necessity of living including health and proper education system in Adivasis areas are the few focused idea to be taken care of by government.
As of now we are aware of the fact that, “laws is just on its face and unjust in its application”. Recent statement by Prime Minister of India on conference of Chief Ministers and State Ministers of Tribal Affairs is the clear confession of rejection of Santhal community and Adivasi
community as a whole. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. Either administration has to provide required attention to segregated Santhals or shall face the consequences in term of not anticipated activities. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
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