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France 24
5 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Indigenous Indian village dismantled in the name of tiger protection
'How is it that people believe that we are the ones destroying wildlife … when we have taken care of the forest for ages and believe wildlife is part of us?' says our Observer Shivu, who is a youth leader within the Jenu Kuruba, an Indigenous people in India. He says this is the paradox at the heart of the conflict between his village and those who run the tiger reserve in Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka state, southwest India. Images sent to our team show men wearing the uniform of Karnataka police and Indian park rangers taking down a wooden shelter as several villagers protest. The incident took place the night of June 18, 2025, according to our Observer, who says that six large shelters – home to women and children – were destroyed. The villagers are accused of illegally settling in the national park. But for Shivu, the reverse is true: he believes the Jenu Kuruba should never have been forcibly displaced in the 1980s, when his ancestors' village was moved to develop the Bengal tiger sanctuary in Nagarhole. Back then, there was nothing to protect the rights of his people, who, like many of India's tribal or Indigenous communities (also known as "Adivasis"), were forced to leave their land. The Adivasis represent 8.6 percent of the Indian population overall, but make up 40 percent of forced displacements. Since 1947, more than 20 million Adivasis have been displaced to make way for development projects, including mining operations and the construction of roads and irrigation systems, along with the creation of national parks. India's Forest Rights Act was introduced in 2006. The aim was to help right the wrongs of the past by protecting the rights of Indigenous or tribal minorities, including the need to obtain their permission in order to build on their land. The next year, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples strengthened these rights globally. But though this legal framework exists, its respect and application remain precarious. Still, when Shivu and nearly 50 Jenu Kuruba families decided to return to and resettle in their ancestral village, Karadikallu Atturu Koli, last May, they based their actions on these laws. They began by seeking to bring proceedings against the Department of Forests, and when they didn't get a response, they decided to notify the government of their plans to settle there and move ahead with the action. 'We will live on this land or we will die on this land' However, since their return, the situation has become tense between the village and the park authorities, who want to push them back out. In a letter to the Forest Department, 70 local organisations standing in solidarity with the Jenu Kuruba denounce the presence of "over 120 paramilitary troops of the Forest Department, the State police, and the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) [that] have been deployed to intimidate members of the Jenu Kuruba tribe, with threats to forcibly evict them.' On June 18, 2025, after the Jenu Kuruba did not comply with the Forest Department's demand that they leave, the security forces attacked their homes. Shivu told us more: 'There were children, there were women, there were elderly people who were sleeping. We told [the security forces] that it's monsoon time and it's going to rain, and a lot of us might fall sick. It's against human rights if you take out these shelters, but they just did not listen, and they took away all the things that they destroyed. There is a situation of fear for families and children. They might come again and forcefully evict us, but we have also decided that come what may, we will live on this land or we will die on this land.' Shivu had not yet been born when his family was forced to leave their home in the name of the conservation of the Bengal tiger, a threatened species. For several generations, the families from his village worked in neighbouring coffee fields, returning every once in a while to their former home for religious ceremonies, such as holidays and funerals. The park authorities say that the village of Karadikallu Atturu Koli never existed, but Shivu said that he has discovered some vestiges. He also says that his people have been taking care of wild animals for generations: 'If we had not thought that animals, forest, and wildlife are equals, would they have seen tigers at all today? We don't see wild animals and the forest as part of our self-pleasure. It is not for extracting profit. It's because we think they are part of us. All of this was done without the consent of our people. So how can this be called a tiger reserve? This is our home, our ancestral land.' 'It is about money and tourism, more than it is about the protection of the forest and the wildlife' The Jenu Kuruba constantly come up against the same argument from the forest authorities, who say that human presence hurts flora and fauna. And yet, many tourists come to the Nagarhole reserve. Sophie Grig is the Asia Campaigns Director with the NGO Survival International, which fights for the rights of tribal people. She says the situation in Nagarhole is a form of "green colonialism', a term theorised to define a particular approach to conservation during the colonial era in Africa: 'This is in the colonial model of fortress conservation. It's a model that basically says, 'We need to protect these areas for animals and wildlife,' which means, 'We have to kick out the Indigenous people who live there.' The mentality of the conservation business is, 'We are the experts from outside and we know best, and these people are backward and primitive, and they cannot be trusted with the forest; they will cut it down.' That's always been the argument. But at the same time, they welcome tourists. A lot of it is about money and tourism, more than it is about the protection of the forest and the wildlife. Because [tourists] have been programmed to expect these places to be empty of people, they complain if they see a cow or a goat or a village because it's not what they're expecting. We see the same in Africa.' In India, more than 600,000 people who lived in the forests have been displaced so that reserves or national parks can be set up. These expulsions, which began with the adoption of the national policy of conserving the tiger back in 1973, continue all these years later. A 2024 report counts more than 550,000 people who were evicted from the country's 55 reserves by the authorities working on tiger conservation in 2021 alone. The Nagarhole tiger reserve and the Indian Forest Department did not respond to our request for interview. However, on its website, the reserve mentions the rehabilitation of 45 tribal sites. According to Survival International, the government committee that's charged with deciding whether or not the forest rights will be recognised rejected the request to resettle Shivu's village on May 22. The Jenu Kuruba have 60 days to appeal the decision. 'It's a violation of the forest rights that they tried to kick them out and dismantle their houses while this appeal process is still ongoing,' Grig said. 'Every step of the way, the Jenu Kuruba's rights have been violated.'
Scoop
20-06-2025
- Scoop
India: Police Raid Indigenous Village Inside Tiger Reserve
June 18, 2025 This morning more than 250 police, forest guards and tiger force members raided a village which Indigenous people had reclaimed in a tiger reserve six weeks ago. The security forces tore down seven forest shelters where women, children and older people were living, at Karadikallu Atturu Kolli village, in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. 'They are forcing people to destroy their own homes on their own lands. This is a grave violation of human rights as well as the rights guaranteed under the Forest Rights Act,' said a source from inside the village. Jenu Kuruba people were violently evicted from Nagarhole 40 years ago to make way for a tiger reserve. More than 50 families returned on May 5 to live in their former village and to assert their claims in accordance with India's Forest Rights Act. It's believed to be the first time Indigenous people in India asserted their rights to return to their homes after eviction from a Protected Area. 'It is outrageous that the Jenu Kuruba are being thrown out of their home once again. The authorities must stop this persecution of the Jenu Kuruba, who are just trying to live in peace on their own land,' said Caroline Pearce, director of Survival International. 'As we've seen time and again, conservation – in this case a Tiger Reserve – is being used as a pretext to violate Indigenous rights. It is time to stop this abusive and colonial model of fortress conservation.' The Jenu Kuruba had lived alongside and worshipped tigers for generations. They decided to return because their sacred spirits, who still dwell in the old village location, became angry at being abandoned when the community was forced from the forest in the 1980s. This is a developing story.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Time of India
Forest dept dismantles Jenu Kuruba tents in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve
Mysuru: Weeks after more than four dozen Jenu Kuruba families entered Nagarahole Tiger Reserve and set up temporary tents, claiming land rights, the state forest department on Wednesday dismantled six temporary tents erected at Attur Kolli Haadi inside Nagarahole forest. The operation was carried out under tight security after the indigenous dwellers' claims over the forest area were rejected by the sub-division level forest rights committee (SDLC) in Madikeri on May 22. The claimants were given an opportunity to appeal the SDLC decision at the district-level committee within 60 days. Meanwhile, the Jenu Kuruba families alleged the operation was inhumane. "These six sheds were constructed only after taking permission at the gram sabha on May 20. The gram sabha was organised under the Forest Rights Act. Now, the forest department has violated the provisions of the act," they charged. According to the forest department, the Jenu Kuruba families had illegally entered and occupied an area of the Attur-Kolli forest within the Nagarahole Wildlife Range on May 5 and had been residing there since then. Six sheds were illegally constructed on June 17 by clearing the vegetation and chopping off around 42 small-sized trees, officials said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo A notice was issued to the tribal community heads the same day to clear out the six new tents, and they were given another opportunity on Wednesday to voluntarily remove the structures. However, they refused and blocked forest and police personnel from entering the area. The personnel then reached the spot through an alternative route and cleared out the area, ACF (Nagarahole wildlife sub-division) J Ananya Kumar said in a press release. However, forest officials clarified that the structures erected on May 5 were not dismantled.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Women, kids of Jenu Kuruba families face hardship at hamlet
1 2 Mysuru: Even as over four dozen Jenu Kuruba families moved inside the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (NTR), charging the foresters with denying them forest land at Karadikallu Aturu Kolli Haadi, women and children are facing the brunt. As it is a forest area, they are exposed to risks, and left with no toilets or potable drinking water. Even though schools reopened during May-end in Kodagu district, children are not attending classes as there are no schools in the nearby areas, and toddlers are out of anganwadis. With a hospital located 20km from the haadi, those who fall ill are forced to depend on home remedies. With no electricity, they depend on tiny solar lights. According to the families, around 40 children and over 80 women are staying in temporary sheds since May 6. Ever since, the 52 families prepare food together and stay together in the sheds made of tarpaulin sheets. There are no secure rooms for women and girl children to sleep. Many young mothers staying in these tents are in their early twenties. They dropped out of formal education at the secondary education level due to poverty. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Two young mothers, who wished not to be named, said their parents, being poor, didn't send them to study further. Now, the prioritiy for the families is land rights over any other facilities as land is crucial for their survival. Those falling sick are taken to Kutta PHC, 20km from our hamlet, in an autorickshaw. Children are not going to school as they are far away, they rued. According to them, the situation was also not better even in the line houses where they stayed earlier. "We don't have many aspirations as we don't know what is happening outside our world. The forest is everything for us," they said. Shivu JA, the tribal leader heading the agitation, said they informed the local schools that children will return to classes in the next few days. "When we were in line houses, our children walked 4.5km. This haadi is closer to the school," he said. "We first applied for our land rights in 2010. Our right is still denied, leading to all these problems," he said. However, the forest officials have denied the charge. Sources in the departments of tribal welfare department and forest said the two biggest challenges faced by the tribal families are alcoholism and lack of education for children. "Activists also failed to help the tribal families in understanding the importance of education. It is given the least importance among these families. This must be changed," they explained. KP Suresh, an activist, said children missing education is a serious concern. "The govt has set up Ashrama schools in tribal belts. Tribal children must be provided good education in these schools. The govt must also address the problems at Ashrama schools," he said. KM Metry, a retired professor of tribal studies at Kannada University, Hampi, said the need of the hour is a statewide study of the status of tribal families, the status of their applications under the Forest Rights Act, and current challenges and possible solutions. "This exercise should be done in a time-bound manner to ensure that the challenges faced by the tribal families are resolved permanently," he said.
Time of India
08-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
No hint of Attur Kolli Haadi in sat images, studies: Forest department
Mysuru: A month after 52 Jenu Kuruba families claimed possession of forest land and constructed three sheds, asserting it is their ancestral land, the forest department denied the claim. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They stated that there is no mention of Attur Kolli Haadi in any satellite images between 1985 and 2025. Additionally, there are no govt sketches or documents supporting the claim. Foresters clarified that this haadi has been created on records solely for the purpose of illegitimately obtaining forest rights. They stated that no Jenu Kuruba families were forcefully evicted from their haadi in the 1980s, as claimed. Assistant conservator of forest, Nagarahole wildlife sub-division, Ananya Kumar, on Saturday, informed reporters that a joint survey was conducted in the Attur Kolli forest area. This survey was conducted in the presence of surveyors and staff from the ADLR office, tribal welfare department, and forest department, with the help of satellite imagery from 1985 to 2025. It was clearly established that no human habitation or cultivation has ever taken place in the surveyed area. "The area is a natural forest," he explained. A survey sketch made by the Mysore working plan wing in 2006-07 clearly identifies and demarcates the various tribal hamlets within the jurisdiction of Nagarahole Wildlife Range but makes no mention of Attur Kolli Haadi. Additionally, the management plan of Nagarahole National Park 2000-2010 (approved by GoK in 2002), which lists 43 tribal hamlets (page 317-318) inside the core area of Nagarahole National Park, makes no mention of the so-called Attur Kolli Haadi. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In 1999-2000, Ramanaiah, N Nagaaj, and Ashoka from the University of Mysore conducted a survey of human habitations inside Nagarahole National Park. They prepared a report named 'Inhabitants Of Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Nagarahole - Family Profile'. This report listed 1,041 tribal families and named 3,740 persons living inside Nagarahole, but has no record of Attur Kolli Haadi or any person living in the Attur Kolli forest area, he said. He also said a Sub-Divisional Level Committee (SDLC) meeting was held in Madikeri in May under the chairmanship of assistant commissioner, Madikeri. The meeting scrutinised the petition filed by RFO, Nagarahole, and examined the evidence supporting the fact that the Attur Kolli forest area is a natural forest and no historical occupation, habitation, or cultivation has ever taken place in the patch of forest claimed by the applicants. Panchayat and ITDP officials also acknowledged that there is no record of Attur Kolli Haadi. The committee also deemed that the evidence presented by the claimants is insufficient to prove historical habitation and cultivation. In view of this, the committee rejected all forest rights claims pertaining to the Attur Kolli forest area. The claimants have been given an opportunity to appeal the decision of the SDLC at the district level committee (DLC), he said. The applicants—52 Jenu Kuruba families—have 40 days to appeal against the SDLC decision at the DLC.
