Adivasi families in Kerala have been facing extreme poverty for many decades now. At the heart of the issue lies access to land. Today, hundreds of adivasis are protesting for their land rights in Nilambur, Kerala. This article offers a glimpse into the past and present of this struggle.
Forced evictions during British rule along with post-independence land reforms have resulted in systematic stripping of lands from adivasi communities. The lack of land prevents adivasis from practicing agriculture, depriving them of income. The toll of landlessness is reflected in the living conditions of adivasis today. Many families live in tight spaces with as many as eight people sharing a single room. Many settlements lack adequate toilet facilities. Additionally, malnutrition is rampant, especially among children.
The struggle for land rights escalated in 2003 culminating in the Muthanga land struggle in Wayanad. Adivasis who had been evicted from forests in the 1960s, asserted their rights by setting up camp in their ancestral lands. In an attempt to remove the camps, the police openly fired at the protestors resulting in multiple deaths and casualties. The incident triggered a case in the Supreme court.
In 2009, the Supreme court passed a landmark judgement directing the Kerala government to return lost agricultural land to adivasi communities. If the land wasn’t suitable, the court mandated that alternate suitable agricultural land should be assigned. This brings us to Nilambur.
Under the verdict, adivasis in Nilambur were set to receive 538 acres of lands, however, till date, only a little over 50% of the land has been approved. This sparked protests in 2023 when around 200 adivasi families set up camp outside the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) office in Nilambur. The protestors took turns working and staying at the camp to finance and sustain the protests.
Due to a lack of response, a hunger strike was launched with one protestor – Bindu Vailaserry – carrying it out for 314 days which finally drew the attention of authorities. Eventually it was promised that 60 families would receive lands within 6 months. However, several months later, similar to promises made before, this too remains unfulfilled.
The pattern of the government’s response to the adivasi demands, from police firing to delay tactics reflect a deeper systematic issue where adivasi lives are treated as dispensable. It exposes the hypocrisy of the Left Democratic Front Kerala government which regularly boasts about its ‘welfare’ schemes. At a broader scale, it also brings into light the struggle for recognition faced by adivasi communities across India.
