Citizens for Justice and Peace
India’s Indigenous People: A life of struggle A paper by Faizi and Nair
09-Aug-2021
In this paper Faizi and Nair examine the life and struggle of India’s indigenous people, especially how Adivasis bear a disproportionately huge part of the impact of climate change.
We are also human beings! The economically deprived Katkari tribe of Maharashtra demands right to a dignified life
09-Aug-2021
The Katkari tribe, which has often been presented as ‘primitive’ or backward, lives together in close-knit groups. The place where these people live is called a Wadi, or locality. Almost all Katkari Wadis are located on the outskirts of a village, and with the exception of a few pucca houses built under the Gharkul housing…
CJP Impact: Churki Hansda goes from being called “Dayan” to “Di” Once accused of being a witch, this Covid Warrior is now an icon in Birbhum
05-Aug-2021
Remember Churki Hansda? Her inspirational story, published on the CJP website, has created waves across West Bengal. People are amazed that Churki Hansda, a Covid Warrior known for rushing oxygen concentrators, cylinders and medicines to the most deprived homes, herself had to struggle to survive a life of hardship. Many were shocked to find out…
“CJP’s Grassroots Fellowship gave me a leadership identity” CJP’s Grassroots Fellowship goes beyond individual recognition, empowers Van Gujjar community
05-Aug-2021
The Van Gujjar community’s traditional festival ‘Sela Parv’ had fascinated me since I was a young boy. However, I had not really seen it being celebrated, only heard stories about it from my elders. They in turn heard tales from their elders, how in the bygone era the Van Gujjar would migrate between kingdoms and…
No eviction of forest dwellers without resolution of land claims: NHRC Chief J. Arun Mishra (retd.) takes stand against eviction of tribals without resolution of land claims
31-Jul-2021
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson Justice (retired) Arun Mishra has said that no Adivasi/tribal should be evicted without the settlement of his/her claim related to land rights, while chairing a webinar organised by the Commission with Human Rights Defenders and Civil Societies on human rights issues. Another suggestion that he gave during the webinar…
Tug of war between two ministries, Adivasis rights slip through the cracks MoEF seeking to control autonomy over land and rights that MoTA was given in 2006?
30-Jul-2021
On June 22, 2021, the environment ministry invited consultancy organisations to express interest in preparing a draft comprehensive amendment to the draconian and colonial Indian Forest Act 1927. The government has used this draconian law of colonial origin to weaponise the forest department and control land and produce actually devolved to traditional forest dwellers under the Forest…
MP: ‘Haq Nahi to Jail Sahi’ Say Adivasis Resisting the Ongoing Brutality by Forest Officials Gauri Lankesh News
28-Jul-2021
JADS through the press conference appealed to the Indian masses to extend their solidarity to the struggle of the Adivasi communities all across MP to attain their constitutional rights. Image: JADS ‘We keep on reminding and explaining the clauses under Forest Rights Act to the Forest officers but it appears as if the State government…
Gov’t doesn’t really care about us: Forcibly evicted Khandwa Adivasis 40 families left shelter-less amidst monsoon and Covid
27-Jul-2021
After watching a rampaging mob destroy their homes and loot their property on July 10, even as Forest Department and Police officials deployed at the spot stood by, Adivasi villagers of Madhya Pradesh’s Negaon-Jamniya village are now demanding justice. They shared their heart-rending stories at an online press conference co-organised by Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan…
Organised violence against Adivasis, denial of Forest Rights Adivasis organise to protect their rights as corporate control over forests escalates
26-Jul-2021
In wake of the brutal attack on an Adivasi hamlet by a rampaging mob, allegedly with the blessings of local forest authorities and police in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, where over 200 people were forcibly evicted from their homes and left shelter-less amidst the monsoon season, Adivasis are protesting the injustice meted out to them. Protesters…
Maharashtra’s Katkaris strive to overcome isolation and deprivation Meet Mahesh and Vasudev, two young members of the tribe who want to bring about positive change through education
17-Jul-2021
The Katkari community, an indigenous tribe, has struggled for centuries to join the mainstream. But now it looks like the youth of the community are taking it upon themselves to use education as a means to achieve that goal. My friend Mahesh Wagh (26), hails from the Dhasai village in Murbad. He has always been…
West Bengal: Wild elephant attacks and the human dilemma Residents of Ghar Salbani say they are spending days in terror
08-Jul-2021
In the seventies, Rajesh Khanna starrer Haathi Mere Saathi had created a magical image for many Indians, especially children. The emotional relationship between a human and an elephant, living in the forest, was endearing. However, real life is far removed from the fantasy woven on celluloid. Forest dwelling elephants are wild creatures, as wild as the tiger,…
Impoverished Adivasis Hunted as Criminals A study showcasing how people in Jharkhand are accused of being Naxalites
05-Jul-2021
Father Stan Swamy who passed away on July 5 devoted his life to upholding and defending Adivasi Rights. Here’s a report by him and the Bagaicha research team comprising PM Antony, Jitan Marandi, Damodar Turi, Renny Abraham, Marianus Minj, Sudhir Kerketta and Xavier Soreng that traces why a disproportionately large number of Adivasis are incarcerated…
Where have all the forests gone? Van Gujjars discover dwindling green cover along traditional migration routes
17-Jun-2021
The annual migration of the Van Gujjars in the summer of 2021, one of the hottest seasons many experienced, made them pause and ponder on the impact of climate change. The Van Gujjars, like other Adivasi and forest dwelling communities, have a deep understanding of nature and how the slightest rise in temperature, and a…
A ray of hope is all we need How Uttarakhand’s Van Gujjars are rebuilding relationships with villagers
04-Jun-2021
Uttarakhand is home to the Van Gujjars, the nomadic community to which I belong. We traditionally breed cows, buffalos of a special breed called Gojri, and even horses, and earn a livelihood by selling milk and milk products. A defining factor of this community is that we migrate according to the season. In the summer…
Bitter sweet lives of honey collectors Surviving crouching tigers, stinging bees and stringent Lockdown restrictions to keep alive a traditional form of livelihood
01-Jun-2021
For centuries the golden floral forest honey from the Sundarbans has travelled across the world, but the stories of those who collect it, just float on the delta and into the Bay of Bengal. There is no typically easy way to get to the world-famous Sundarbans, but even the most difficult journey to this vast…