Citizens for Justice and Peace
Forest Rights : Shelter destroyed in Uttarakhand CJP stands with the Van Gujjars and condemns police action
19-Jun-2020
On June 17th, forest officials and local police forcefully destroyed a shelter belonging to Van Gujjars. Despite court orders to not take action against those who make claims under FRA 2006, many women and men were beaten up. The government is using the COVID lockdown as an excuse to roll back the gains made by…
Dudhwa National Park: Adivasi women’s fight for their land CJP stands with AIUFWP and the Adivasis of Dudhwa in this fight.
12-Jun-2020
The corona pandemic has become an excuse for the forest department to roll back the claim on land made by Adivasis of Dudhwa. All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP) works closely with Adivasis, Dalits and other people who depend on the forest. CJP stands with AIUFWP and the Adivasis of Dudhwa in this…
CJP in Action: Forest workers unite with anti-CAA protesters Members of CJP's partner organisation AIUFWP met with Shaheen Bagh protesters to fight oppression together
17-Feb-2020
Recently a contingent of 23 Dalit and Adivasi forest workers from Lakhimpur Khikri, Sonbhadra and Manikpur arrived in New Delhi to express solidarity with people protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The visiting contingent comprised members of the All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP). Just like the protests at Shaheen Bagh are predominantly…
Woman, Van Gujjar, Forest Dweller – the roles & intersectionalities in Mariam’s life The Right to a Voice Revisited - Van Gujjar Women & Intersections of Community Mobilization
21-Nov-2019
“One woman standing up against an unjust law is unlikely to achieve much on her own; many women working together, however, are more likely to provoke change” (Rowland 1998) I had first read about a Van Gujjar named Mariam in an article titled “Tribal Women in UP: Challenging the Panchayat System” in Diana Vinding’s book…
Forest rights group prepares for Nov 21 Sansad Gherao Protests of Adivasis and Forest Dwellers mount as the next date of the SC hearing (Nov 26) draws near
11-Nov-2019
Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, a forest rights collective, held a planning meeting at Indian Social Institute regarding the action planned on November 21, 2019 to have a Sansad Gherao at Sansad Marg, Delhi. The Gherao, along with state, district and village level actions, have been planned to protest violations of people’s rights and dilution of Forest Rights…
Towards Strengthening Women Leadership at the Grassroots CJP In Saharanpur
06-Nov-2019
All India Union of Forest Working People ( AIUFWP) organized a community women leaders meet where front line women leaders as well as young women activists participated. CJP’s Secretary Teesta Setalvad conducted training on Forest Rights, Constitution and Women. Related: CJP works towards release of detainees in Assam Teesta Setalvad empowers citizens and questions modalities…
Compendium of Judgments on the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (June 15, 2016) Contains all judgments related to the FRA from 2007 to 2015
05-Nov-2019
Compiled by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme and edited by Senior Advocate Shomona Khanna, the Compendium contains a total of 648 judgments delivered by the Supreme Court, various High Courts, and the Central Information Commission. The Compendium can be accessed here: CJP stands with the millions of…
Post-NRC, Parties Still Fight on Who Is and Isn’t Indigenous to Assam APW recommends a wide-sweep definition while ITSSA recommends distinction between Assam’s indigenous and tribal peoples
31-Oct-2019
On October 29, Assam Public Works (APW) submitted a list of 48 communities to the high-powered committee established to enact Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. It stated that members of these communities are “indigenous Assamese” and, therefore, are eligible for constitutional safeguards under the clause. The Assam Public Works is the original petitioner that…
The High Level Committee’s Report on Socio-economic, Health and Educational Status of Tribal Communities of India (May 29, 2014) Committee headed by Prof. Virginius Xaxa
28-Oct-2019
In August 2014, the Prime Minister’s Office constituted a High-Level Committee (HLC) with Prof. Virginius Xaxa as Chairperson. In its Terms of Reference (TOR), the Committee was mandated “to examine the socioeconomic, educational and health status of tribal communities and recommend appropriate interventional measures to improve the same”. The Report comprises thematic sections based on…
Expert Group Report on Development Challenges in Extremist Affected Areas (May 2006) The Planning Commission set up the 16-Member Expert Group on “Development Issues to deal with the causes of Discontent, Unrest and Extremism”.
28-Oct-2019
The Group was established to investigate into the processes and causes which contributed to “continued tensions and alienation in the areas of unrest and discontent”, such as wide-spread displacement, forest issues, insecure tenancies and other forms of exploitation, identify causes for low social and human development indicators, suggest measures to upgrade the levels of governance…