January 1-15, 2007

Onward with the struggle for the rights of the forest dwellers!

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 15, has been met by loud protests of tribals and forest dwellers.

Tribals and forest dwellers from all over India have been on dharna in New Delhi since November 22 demanding significant amendments to the Bill. On December 16, over a hundred tribals and forest dwellers staged a protest march to the residence of the Minister of Tribal Affairs, opposing the form in which the Bill was finally passed and declaring it a “betrayal of the struggle of lakhs of people”. On December 19, they held a big public rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

The Bill formally recognizes the right of the forest dwellers, tribal and non-tribal, to their land and resources, and in that sense, represents a partial victory of the decades-long struggle of the forest dwellers. However, in its present form, it falls far short of the actual demands that the forest dwellers have been repeatedly raising, in terms of empowering the forest dwellers to safeguard their rights over their traditional habitat and sources of livelihood.

Forest dwellers remain one of the most savagely exploited sections of our toiling people. Following the tradition of the British colonial rulers, the Indian state has taken over most of the forest land all over the country. Through its Forest Department, the state virtually controls the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been traditionally living there and earning their livelihood from the forest produce. Forest dwellers have been facing the constant threat of being declared “illegal occupants”, brutally evicted from their land and source of livelihood, destruction of the forests, extortion, victimization and torture at the hands of the forest officials. In the interests of the biggest private monopoly capitalists, the Indian state has handed over huge tracts of forest land for mining, rendering thousands of forest dwellers homeless and destitute.

The valiant struggle of the forest dwellers, against heavy odds, has forced the government at the centre to formally recognize their rights. However, the manner in which the Bill was passed exposes the real nature of the political process in our country, where laws can be enacted affecting the lives of masses of people, with utter disregard for the demands and aspirations of the affected people.

According to a statement released by the Campaign for Survival and Dignity, which has been actively organizing the forest dwellers in the struggle for their rights, not only were the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee ignored, but the very definition of “forest dwelling” has been manipulated in such a way that 90% of tribals and other forest dwellers will be excluded from eligibility for their rights under this law. Entire categories of the most vulnerable non-tribal forest dwellers have been excluded. The demand that gram sabhas be empowered to verify the rights over the forest land has been rejected and the power remains in the hands of the state officials and bureaucrats. Through a series of legal loopholes in a number of its clauses, the law denies the forest dwellers the right over their resources and sources of livelihood as well as the right to prevent destruction of the forests. The forest dwellers have not accepted the Bill and are determined to continue their struggle. They have declared that they will step up their organization and mass mobilization, in the coming months. Through their active participation in the struggle they have to build their local committees of struggle, as the real organs of people’s power in their areas.

In their struggle, the forest dwellers are not alone. Throughout the country, the state of the big bourgeoisie is ruthlessly attacking the rights of the peasants in the countryside over their land, the rights of the workers over their slum dwellings, the rights of the traders and middle sections to earn their livelihood, in the towns and cities. All these attacks are being carried out with the full force of the state machinery, to enable the biggest Indian and foreign monopoly capitalists to reap their super-profits through the savage exploitation of the land, labour and resources of our people. Regardless of which parliamentary political party is in power in any specific area, the attacks are the same. And all the affected sections of the people are getting organized and fighting back against these attacks on their livelihood and rights.

The struggle of the forest dwellers is a part of this common struggle and its fire has to be directed against the state of the big bourgeoisie. All the major parliamentary political parties today can be clearly seen defending the interests of the big monopoly bourgeoisie and cannot be relied upon to look after the interests of any section of the struggling people. Only the united resolute struggle of the workers, peasants, tribal and non-tribal forest dwellers and other deprived sections can halt the offensive of the big monopoly capitalist bourgeoisie.

People’s Voice hails the determined struggle of the forest dwellers and calls on them to unite with all other sections of the oppressed people, to fight to establish the rule of the workers and peasants, in place of the existing rule of the big bourgeoisie. Only this can ensure that political power belongs to the working people, and usher in a truly democratic system in which the people will not be constantly deprived of their rights, but will be able to defend their rights with the political power in their hands. n

Tribals of Betul district mark Human Rights Day with protest rally

On December 10, International Human Rights Day, nearly a hundred tribals took out a protest rally in Betul town in Madhya Pradesh and formed a human chain at the main intersection. Declaring that human rights have been reduced to a farce under the present system, they shouted slogans such as ‘Manav Adhikar Diwas dhoka hai’ and denounced the state authorities and police for their utter disregard of the rights of the tribals and working people. Hundreds of tribals of Betul district have been on dharna at the local SC/ST police station, demanding action in the matter of non-payment of their wages. The tribals of village Pipalbarra of Chicholi block, who have been working for the forest department, are being denied payment of their due wages, amounting to more than 2 lakh rupees, for the last 14 months. Even after prolonged agitation, payment of only rupees 1 lakh has been made. The tribals claim that the district authorities are producing forged documents to show that the wages have been paid. Their demand for justice is being ignored by the authorities.

Earlier, on December 7, around five thousand tribals of Betul district, under the banner of Shramik Adiwasi Sangathan and Samajwadi Jan Parishad, had demonstrated at the SC/ST police station in Betul and called for action to be taken against the forest officials who are responsible for non-payment of their due wages. The protestors demanded that an FIR be registered against the guilty forest officials.