Page 4 - Tribals

Tribal activists threaten self-immolation if Sarna is not declared religion

Pressing for recognition of Sarna as a separate religion, tribal activists on Saturday threatened to immolate themselves if Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make any announcement on it during his proposed November 15 visit to Jharkhand. Tribal activists will also observe fast between 10 AM to 1 PM in Jharkhand and other states on the day in support of the demand. Modi is scheduled to visit Ulihatu, the birth place of tribal icon Birsa Munda, in Khunti district of the state on his birth anniversary on November 15, which is also the Jharkhand Foundation day. The threat was issued by two tribal activists of 'Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan' (ASA), its president Salkhan Murmu said. Murmu, a former Parliamentarian, said the immolation decision by two ASA members was made independently. "We are expecting the prime minister to make an announcement on our long-standing demand for the recognition of a separate 'Sarna' religion ... If he does not make the Centre's stand clear over our demand,

BJP calls tribals vanvasi, asks them to shun English: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party calls the tribals 'vanvasi' instead of 'adivasi' as it does not want them to "dream big". Speaking at a campaign rally here ahead of the second phase of assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, he also hit out at BJP leaders for asking the tribals not to learn English while sending their own children to English-medium schools. "BJP used the term 'vanvasi' (forest-dweller) for adivasis. There is a huge difference between 'vanvasi' and 'adivasi'. You must have seen the video where a BJP leader urinated on a tribal man," the Congress leader said, referring to an incident from the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh. That incident reflected the BJP's mindset, Gandhi alleged. "The term 'adivasi' has a deep meaning. It expresses your rights to 'jal, jungle, zameen (water, forest, land)'. 'Vanvasi' means those who live in the jungle. The BJP calls you vanvasi, we call you adivasi. The BJP snatches your rights, we give you rights. We h

Focus on people's issues: Ex-Tripura CM Manik Sarkar advices CPI(M)

Former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has urged CPI(M) leaders in the northeastern state to go to the villages and organise agitations on local issues to win the hearts of the people. The CPI(M) led Left Front had ruled the northeastern state for 35 years in two stints from 1978 to 1988 and 1993 to 2028. He claimed that there is a need for self-introspection among CPI(M) leaders in Tripura as the party has failed to attract people. "Before 2018, the CPI(M) had 88,000 active members which came down to 45,000 after the 2018 Assembly polls. The downfall is steep taking into consideration that the state has around 42 lakh people", the CPI(M) politburo member said in a party programme at Town Hall here on Tuesday. Sarkar urged the party leaders to go to the villages and organise agitation on local issues to win the hearts of the people. "The local party units must adopt a matured approach while selecting the issues. The people will accept the issues which are not relevant to thei

Manipur tribals protest deployment of additional' police commandos in Moreh

A section of tribal women in Manipur's Moreh town bordering Myanmar has been protesting against the deployment of additional police commandos for the past few days. Women are on a sit-in at Chikim village, around 3 km from Tengnoupal district's Moreh, a Kuki majority town. Officials said that a commandant of the Assam Rifles and other security officers held a series of talks with the protestors in the last few days but the issue is yet to be addressed. Several tribal organisations such as the Kuki Inpi and the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) claimed that efforts are on to induct more police personnel drawn from Imphal Valley in the town and this might disturb peace. Despite the strong presence of para-military forces and Indian Army manning the buffer zones and securing tranquillity within Moreh, the deployment of additional Meitei police through night choppers is of grave concern, COTU said in a statement. It claimed that the recovery of arms and ammunition in recent operations

Manipur HC allows appealing against order on ST status for Meitei community

The Manipur High Court has allowed tribal organisations in the state to file an appeal against the controversial March 27 order which directed the state government to send a recommendation on ST status for the Meitei community. A division bench of Justice Ahanthem Bimol and Justice Guneshwar Sharma in its October 19 order allowed the tribal bodies to appeal against the order, saying, "the main grievances raised by the applicant is that they will be prejudicially affected if they are not given a chance to have a say or to raise objection in the matter of granting ST status to the Meitei community." A single judge bench had passed the controversial order on a petition filed by members of the Meitei Tribes Union, seeking that the state government be directed to act on their pleas for inclusion in the ST list. The March 27 order by then acting Chief Justice MV Muralidharan led to widespread objections from Kuki Zo bodies which was followed by a rally, organised by the All Tribal Student

MP election: Congress biggest enemy of tribals, says CM Shivraj Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan attacked the Congress party and said that the grand old party has always exploited the poor and tribals

Jharkhand to launch campaign to include primitive tribes in voters' list

A special drive to include the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PTGs), sex workers and the homeless in the electoral roll will soon be launched in Jharkhand, a top official said. An enrolment drive will also be conducted at every polling booth of the state on four days -- October 28-29 and November 4-5, he said. "Apart from this, a special enrolment campaign will be conducted for primitive tribes (PTGs) on November 28, homeless people on November 29, senior citizens above 80 years of age on November 30, sex workers and third gender' on December 2 and physically challenged people on December 3," Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jharkhand, K Ravi Kumar, said on Saturday. Besides, an advance form that can be filled by 6.59 lakh students, who are completing 18 years of age on January 1, 2024, to get included in the electoral roll, has also been made available, he said. I appeal to the public to take full advantage of the drive and ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of th

Manipur tribal group threatens indefinite shutdown objecting arrests by CBI

Manipur's Kangpokpi-based tribal organisation, Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), on Monday threatened to launch an indefinite shutdown in the district if the Centre failed to immediately release all those arrested by central agencies over the last three days. Condemning the arrest of four people by the CBI in connection with the killing of two Manipuri youths, COTU in a statement on Monday said, "The committee serves a 48-hour ultimatum to the Union home ministry to direct the central agencies to immediately release all the arrested tribals and initiate an investigation of Meitei criminals." COTU's ultimatum came a day after Churachandpur-based Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) announced an indefinite shutdown in the southern district of Manipur to protest the arrest of the four persons by the CBI and Seiminlun Gangte by the NIA. COTU also denounced the arrest of Gangte and alleged that it is "a clear indication of partisan attitude on the part of the Union home ministry." Gan

Former Indian Hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey joins Congress in Odisha

Former Indian hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey on Monday joined the Congress at the party's Odisha unit headquarters here and expressed his desire to contest the assembly elections next year. He joined the party in the presence of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattanayak, its state in-charge A Chella Kumar and other senior leaders. The former hockey player has expressed his desire to contest the next assembly elections from the Talsara segment in the tribal-dominated Sundergarh district. Tirkey said he decided to join the party as the "work of Rahul Gandhi deeply influenced" him and asserted that his family has a "long association with the Congress". Claiming that the people in the Talsara area are "neglected", he said the "tribals do not get any benefit from government schemes". Tirkey made his debut in the Junior Asia Cup in 2000. He was the national captain of sub-junior, junior and India-A teams and finally became the India senior team captain. He played 135

Manipur tribal organisations oppose convening of assembly session on Aug 29

The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) and the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) have denounced the convening of the Manipur Assembly session on August 29 saying the present situation is not conducive for Kuki-Zo MLAs to attend. In a joint statement on Sunday, both the organisations said considering the complete breakdown of law and order and the failure of the state government in protecting the lives of the common people and officials, convening the session "is devoid of logic and rationality." The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of Manipur Legislative Assembly on Saturday had decided to hold a one-day session on Tuesday. "Since the outbreak of the current ethnic violence in May, Imphal valley has witnessed the lynching of more than a hundred innocent people and destruction of thousands of houses. Even the lives and properties of ministers and MLAs were not spared," the joint statement said. "If the state government is really concerned about bringing back normalcy, it should

Manipur tribal students stage rally to observe 100 days of ethnic clashes

The Joint Students' Body comprising the Zomi Students' Federation (ZSF), Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) and Hmar Students' Association (HSA) on Thursday organised a rally in Manipur's Churachandpur town to observe 100 days of ethnic strife in the state. Eyewitnesses said the students appreciated the resistance put up by the village defence guards to prevent violence. "The day was observed to pay tributes to the tribals who fought the attackers. The Kuki-Zo tribals will not rest till their demands are met and a separate administration formed, a member of the JSF said. He said the demand for separate administration dates back to the 1960s and the tribals "are not illegal immigrants as claimed by some politicians." The students' body said a one-minute silence was also observed as a mark of respect to the tribals who were killed in the ethnic strife. On July 27, the body had submitted a memorandum to Governor Anusuiya Uikey seeking necessary measures for Kuki-Zomi University studen

Rajasthan elections: Rahul Gandhi to attend rally in Banswara today

Congress will begin its party's poll campaign in Rajasthan with this rally on Word Adivasi Day to win over tribal vote bank

World Tribal Day: Know History, Theme, Importance of Indigenous People

The United Nations' (UN) World Tribal Day is observed on August 9 every year to raise awareness and safeguard the rights of indigenous populations globally

Rs 1 trillion allotted for STC funds for tribal welfare and development

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is working towards providing essential infrastructure facilities in 36,428 villages that have 50% tribal population and are home to 500 Scheduled Tribes

Tribals in Manipur reach out to Oppn alliance INDIA; seek President's rule

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), an umbrella group of tribals in Manipur, on Saturday wrote a letter to opposition alliance INDIA, seeking its support for their demand of a separate administration and implementation of President's rule in the violence-hit state. Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes since May 3 between the majority Meiteis and tribals that have left over 150 people dead. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts. "We fervently appeal to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take up our cause and apprise the nation about our plight. "We implore you to help us survive this onslaught by supporting our demand for a separate administration from Manipur and to urge the central government to introduce President rule immediately in Manipur to end the violence," the I

The cry of the wounded in movies reflects real life in India

'Aakrosh' (1981) depicted how India's tribal people, almost 8% of the population, are dehumanised by the state and the law

1182 cadres of eight Adivasi outfits formally deposit arms to Assam CM

Altogether 1182 cadres of eight Adivasi insurgents outfits, which had signed a peace agreement with the central and Assam governments, on Thursday formally deposited their arms to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here. The representatives of outfits, including three breakaway factions, deposited their arms to the chief minister at a ceremony organised by the home department here. The cadres laid down 304 arms and 1460 rounds of ammunition. These included seven AK-series rifles, twenty .303 rifles, four SLRs, four carbines, one INSAS rifle, one LMG, 124 pistols, 30 semi-automatic rifles, 20 grenades, 10 Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), two kgs of RDX and 2.5 kgs of TNT. The home department had displayed 200 of these arms at the venue of the surrender ceremony. The chief minister in his address welcomed the members of various insurgent outfits, saying they have shunned the path of violence and joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mission of peace and progress in the North East,

Parl panel head Sushil Modi bats to keep tribals out of UCC ambit: Report

BJP MP Sushil Modi on Monday advocated keeping tribals of the North East and other regions out of the purview of any likely Uniform Civil Code at a parliamentary panel meeting chaired by him while some opposition members questioned the Law Commission's move to begin consultation on the contentious issue, sources said. Most opposition members, including those from the Congress and the DMK, linked the push for a UCC to the next year Lok Sabha polls, sources said, adding that Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut noted that many countries had a common civil law while calling for looking into concerns of different communities and regions. He also questioned the consultation's timing. Congress MP Vivek Tankha and DMK MP P Wilson submitted separate written statements questioning the move of the Law Commission, which was represented in the meeting by its member-secretary K Biswal, to invite suggestions on UCC from people and other stakeholders. They noted that the previous Law Commission, the term of ..

Hul Diwas 2023: Celebrating tribals and their bravery against the British

Today, on the occasion of Hul Kranti Divas, tributes are paid to the brave tribals who faced the British ammunition with only a bow and arrow

What will happen to tribal culture if UCC is implemented? asks Bhagel

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday reacted sharply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support for enactment of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and asked what will happen to culture and traditions of tribals if such a law is implemented. Modi, addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Bhopal in adjoining Madhya Pradesh, made a strong pitch for implementation of the UCC and said the Constitution also mentions about giving equal rights to all citizens. Asked about PM's remarks, Baghel said, Why do you (BJP) always think from Hindu-Muslim point of view? In Chhattisgarh, we have tribal people. What will happen to their beliefs and orthodox rules through which they govern their society? If the UCC is implemented then what will happen to their tradition?" The Congress leader said there are also several other caste groups which have their own rules. Our nation is like a beautiful bouquet with people believing in different religions, speaking different languages, following ...