In the thick of the Handi Gundi Forest, about 25 km from Ramanagar town, 16 tribal families are on protest for more than 200 days demanding land rights in the forest under the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA).
Belonging to the Iruliga tribe, one of the oldest tribes in Karnataka, they were evicted from the forest in 1992. Ever since, the families have been in search of livelihood and shelter. At present, they have makeshift sheds in a government-granted plot in Gollaradoddi village adjoining the forest, with no civic amenities.
The Forest Rights Act ensures forest rights and occupation in forest land to forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers, “who have been residing in such forests for generations, but whose rights could not be recorded.”
The tribal families claim that their applications for land rights have been pending from 2015, in spite of them providing proofs of their residence in the forest.
Krishnamurthy, president of the local Forest Rights Committee and a member of the Iruliga Kshemabhivruddhi Sangha, tells DH that they have provided six proofs: A grinding stone in the forest, graves, temples, indicators of land cultivation, elders’ statements and a note by the then tahsildar in the 1990s, attesting their residence in the area.
When DH visited the protest site, the families showed these spots.
“As per regulations, just two proofs showing that we lived here before 2005 are enough to qualify us. Our applications are being rejected on flimsy grounds by the forest department,” Krishnamurthy alleges.
The families began their protest in February this year. “The revenue officials conducted a survey in February. Even though they did not raise objections, the forest officials rejected our applications. Ever since that we are protesting,” he adds.
The forest officials on their part hold these proofs inadequate. Requesting anonymity, a forest official says: “What is the guarantee that these individuals lived here? We have given land rights to more than 150 tribal families in Ramanagar district, who were able to establish a direct connection to the forest.”
In Ramanagar alone, there are more than 1,000 “dubious” applications and the forest department cannot grant land to everyone, the official adds.
“Both my parents have been buried here according to our tribal customs,” Krishnamurthy says, showing his parents’ graves, countering the forest department’s claims.
Some family elders, Chikkolamma, Alagamma, Eeramma and Mahadevamma tell DH about their youth in the forest.
“We cultivated ragi and other millets. We would pound them and make gruel to feed our children.”
Their parents and grandparents collected tubers, honey and other herbs in the forest. They made baskets and sold these for a living, they say. Why are they keen on coming back to the forest?
“The makeshift homes where we live do not have toilets. We have to use farms of other communities for our ablutions. They abuse us every day. We bear the insults with no other choice,” explains Lakshmamma.
According to her, most of them depend on daily wages, struggling to make ends meet. The forest not only assures them a place to live, but also livelihood. “We want to live with dignity in a place of our own. We want to educate our children,” adds Gowramma, Lakshmamma’s daughter.
These families are not alone in their fight. Mahadevaiah, president of the Forest Rights Committee, Bannerghatta, says that many Iruliga families share this fate.
“There are Iruligas spread across Kanakapura, Ramanagar, Magadi, Channapatna and Bannerghatta. There are 1,795 applications. Only 400 have been processed so far,” he says.
"The government needs to speed up the implementation of Forest Rights Act. As of August 2021, there are 47,722 applications across the state from forest dwelling tribes. Land rights have been given to only 12585. In case of traditional forest dwellers, there are 2.4 lakh applications, of which merely 1986 have been approved. Also, in the case of traditional forest dwellers, the government asks for 75 years' proof of residence, which dates back to the pre-Independence period. This clause needs to be reviewed. Moreover, officials usually consider only biodiversity and wildlife as integral to the forest. I want to emphasise that even tribal families are an equal part of the forest," BJP MLC Shantaram Budna Siddi said.