Brutal Murder of 10 Tribal Farmers at Sonbhadra (UP) Still Await Justice!

On 17 July, Sonbhadra (UP) witnessed a gruesome incident of cold-blooded massacre and land grab, where as many as 10 tribal farmers, including 3 women, were brutally shot dead and scores injured. The attackers were led by the village head Yagya Dutt, who has been trying to forcefully occupy Adivasi land which has been cultivated by Gond families for generations. However, the district administration instead of issuing pattas (land titles) to the tribals despite repeated requests, has become a party to the heinous crime. The tribals had last year filed a complaint with the revenue department regarding the illegal sale of land and they also filed case at the civil court. However the district administration rather than standing by the tribals and issuing them land pattas according to Forest Rights Act (2006) remained a silent spectator.

A team of CPIML led by party’s UP Secretary visited Umbha village and met with the victim families. The massacre appears to be well-planned as around 30 armed people were specially brought in from other states like Jharkhand and Bihar. Further, it had the complicity of local administration. Raju, son of deceased Ashok, informed the CPIML team that while the firing was going on, they kept calling the local police thana, DM, CO, SP, but no one received their phone calls; but as soon as firing stopped and the criminals left the place, the police entered the village!

Since Yogi govt has come to power, the administration is taking sides with the mafia groups who are grabbing lands in these tribal dominated districts. Even before this heinous incident, hundreds of adivasis have been sent to jail for resisting the grab of their lands, after implicating them in criminal charges. The Yogi government’s protection to land grab criminals has boosted the morale of these groups leading to such a heinous crime.

Yogi government tried to suppress this atrocity too and brush it under the carpet. After repeated interventions by activists and local media, the issue garnered national coverage, exposing both the administration’s complicity and government’s insensitivity. Though nearly 30 people, including main accused Yagya Dutt and his family members, have been arrested, and a sub-divisional magistrate and four police personnel have been transferred, the government is still dilly dallying in settling rightful claims of Gond tillers who were being targeted by the accused for the past couple of years.

Conspiracy to Scuttle Forest Right Act (2006) and evict Millions of Tribals: Indeed, Sonbhadra massacre is not an exception. Modi government from its inception has been continuously trying to dilute and destroy the hard won Forest Right Act (2006). The act was never implemented in true spirit forcing millions of tribals to be called ‘invaders’. Subsequently, these government-created ‘invaders’ have been threatened with eviction. Though three generations of forest residents were supposed to be legal residents in forestlands, more than one million petitions were rejected manipulating the Forest Rights Act 2006, by state governments led by BJP. If the claims under the FRA are rejected, then the States have been directed by the Supreme Court ruling of 13 Feb 2019, to evict Adivasis and traditional forest dwellers from their forest land. This ruling triggered countrywide protests, following which the Supreme Court on 28 February 2019 amended its ruling and stayed it till 10 July, 2019. Though the Supreme Court’s earlier order on eviction remained on hold, the ground reality is that the forest department is continuously pushing people out of their lands and destroying their farm fields. Several such instances have been reported in many states since 13 February 2019. The Supreme Court is due to hear the different petitions on 24 July, 2019. The BJP Government is also proposing draconian amendments to the Indian Forest Act, 1927 to facilitate corporate loot and exploitation of the tribal people.

The Modi and Yogi duo have turned out to be a nightmare for the marginalised communities of UP. Be it rising caste atrocities against Dalits, protection and immunity given to rape accused and rising crimes on women, authorised extra judicial encounter killings of innocents in name of fighting crime, and now the attack on tribals is part of this larger crony criminal nexus of politicians and district administrations. Rather than checking and curbing violation of the rule of law, the Yogi government’s silence has give legitimacy for these groups who have become the mainstream and are perpetuating violence against women, dalits and tribals.

AISA immediately demands action against the culprits and a judicial enquiry into the incident looking into the complicity of the district administration. AISA demands exemplary punishment to those trying to grab tribal lands displacing the adivasis cultivating and habiting the land for decades and generations.

AISA demands that the government must not restrict itself to token compensation announcements but must extend full financial and livelihood support to the families affected in this carnage. The Yogi government must immediately stop multiple machinations to evict tribals, give them their rightful claim of land and implement the Forest Rights Act in letter and spirit.

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