Citizens for Justice and Peace
Tharu Adivasis submit rebuttal against rejected land claims: Dudhwa National Park Forest dwellers had submitted community forest rights claims in 2013
11-Sep-2019
Adivasis and forest dwellers of a village in Dudhwa National Park offer a point by point rebuttal to the fallacious claims of the Forest Department submitted as “grounds” to reject community forest rights claims (CFR). The villagers had submitted the claims as long back as in 2013. On July 31, 2013, forest dwellers from 17…
10 must read books about Adivasis and Forest Rights A curated list of some of the best books to understand the bond between forests and their inhabitants
10-Sep-2019
With growing conversation around forest rights, we need to understand how India’s Adivasis and forest dwellers have played a key role in protecting forest cover and biodiversity. It is also important to examine their culture and history of living in harmony with nature and see for oneself how their existence is symbiotic with the forests…
No procedure of eviction under FRA 2006: Chhattisgarh gov’t Analysis of state gov't affidavit submitted to SC
04-Sep-2019
In a crucial intervention in the on-going litigation by Wildlife First challenging the constitutional validity of the law, Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006, the Chhattisgarh state, in its affidavit filed in July 2019, not only recognises the lapses in recognition of forest rights, but also suggests the way forward. In its affidavit filed as a…
Rajkumari of Dhuma: Fighting for her rights with a song on her lips Human Rights Defender
21-Aug-2019
“Our struggle is neither against the dam nor against the brokers; we are demanding our rights. We are demanding our land” says Rajkumari, a fiery activist of the Kaimur Kisan Andolan, which is part of the All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP). Rajkumari Bhuiya from Dhuma has grown into an immutable voice who…
CJP brings Adivasis to Mumbai Shores Sonbhadra comes to Mumbai
09-Aug-2019
On #WorldIndigenousDay, CJP is proud to stand with the Adivasi human rights defenders who are fighting for their ‘jal jangal zameen’. Related: FRA 2006 can’t be diluted Sokalo: An Adivasi warrior who defends her people Lobby of Corporate Interests, Bureaucrats and Mafia looting Forest Land: Roma Sonbhadra’s Mahua Coloured Dreams Rajkumari Bhuiya: Songs as her…
Over 30,000 Adivasis and Forest Dwellers take to the streets Nation-wide protests against eviction and amendments to the Indian Forest Act, 1927
23-Jul-2019
Protests to defend provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, oppose proposed draconian amendments to the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and against the government’s antipathy towards the forest dwelling communities, erupted across India on July 22, 2019. More than 30,000 people participated in protests at various locations in different states including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh,…
Mahua coloured dreams Forest produce and its relevance in the lives of forest dwelling communities in Sonbhadra, UP
10-Jul-2019
Mahua, which has found mention in folk poetry, songs and stories is rightly called the “gift of Gods.” Flowering in summer, especially during March and April, the flowers provide respite to the lands and peoples stricken by drought and summers. These deciduous trees flower even as all other trees lie bare. It’s a revered tree…
Forest Rights Movements to intervene “collectively” in SC eviction order case National Consultation on Forest Rights declares protests across the country on July 22
09-Jul-2019
A national consultation on forest and land rights has declared protest actions across India on July 22, tentatively the date for hearing in the case of the recent Supreme Court order on eviction of forest dwelling communities. Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, a platform working for the land rights of communities called for a two day…
Sokalo Gond: Adivasi warrior who defends her people Human Rights Defender
14-Jun-2019
This is the story of Human rights defender Sokalo Gond who fights for the rights of her people, in Sonbhadra, a forested region of UP. She is one of the most important forces in the struggle for the implementation of forest rights act 2006 in Sonbhadra. Over the years, Sokalo has been working relentlessly with…
CJP in Action: Defending Adivasi Human Rights Activists in Courts CJP is providing legal aid to leaders and members of the forest workers movement in Uttar Pradesh
25-Feb-2019
India’s indigenous peoples, most commonly called ‘Adivasis’, which means ‘original inhabitants’, are under attack in various areas of the country. With the rising looting and exploitation and mounting corporate greed and the thirst for mineral-rich land, India’s Adivasis are increasingly being displaced from the very lands they helped cultivate and fertilised for generations. Not only…