Jal, Jungle, Zamin: Glimpses into the March for Forest Rights A look into the "Sansad Gherao" organised on November 21, 2019
23, Nov 2019
On November 21, the nation’s Adivasis came to New Delhi in droves to stand before the Indian Parliament and demanded that their rights to jal, jungle, zamin be recognized by the State.
The movement was organised by Bhumi Adhikar Andolan along with other forest rights groups such as All India Kisan Sabha, All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP), All India Kisan Mahasabha, National Alliance of People’s Movements, All India Agricultural Workers Union, Jagrut Adivasi Dalit Sangathan, All India Krishak Khet Mazdoor Union, Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch, and Delhi Solidarity Group.
Alliance of People’s Movements, All India Agricultural Workers Union, Jagrut Adivasi Dalit Sangathan, All India Krishak Khet Mazdoor Union, Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch, and Delhi Solidarity Group.
These groups have been supporting tribal communities in protesting at their state, district and village levels from November 17 so as to protest the violations of their people’s rights and the dilution of the Forest Rights Act in the stay period between Supreme Court hearings on the on-going matter. These actions were planned ahead of the next hearing in the case which is slated for November 26.
Here is a closer look at the event in pictures:
Hundreds of tribal folk gathered at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi to demand protection of their rights.
People came in large numbers from all over the country ahead of the November 26 Supreme Court hearing of Wildlife First v. Union of India (2008).
Loyabai and Riyalibai are members of the Jagrut Adivasi Dalit Sanghatana. They hail from the Burhanpur district in Madhya Pradesh. This year in July, the Adivasis of Burhanpur were attacked by the police with pellet gun firings for protesting “forced eviction drives” that the forest officials were trying to conduct in their villages, despite a Supreme Court staying all evictions before November 26.
Rajkumari Bhuiya is an agrarian rights activist from Dhuma. She is a member of the Kaimur Kisan Andolan, a part of the AIUFWP. In this picture she is with another force of nature—Sokalo Gond of Sonbhadra. Sokalo was illegally incarcerated in June 2018 for creating waves by standing up for her communnity’s rights over their land.
Two Rajya Sabha MLAs — Elamaram Kareem and K.K. Ragesh—came to show their support for the cause. They are both from the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
