TRIBALS - 2012 - Indian Social Institute

open courtyards. These women invariably throw a morsel of rice or any other food item towards the
flocking birds making up for some supplementary food for them. In urban areas, the change in designing
of houses has spelt doom for the chirpers. The RRC slab in modern houses has no provision for crevices
or holes which goes against the nesting habit of sparrows. Food is also scarce for the birds in such
homesteads as packaged food grain replaces the raw ones. The quantity of stored food grain is also quite
less in modern homes when compared to the traditional storage. (The Hindu 20/3/12)
ST status call reaches Delhi (6)
Guwahati, March 21: The tea tribes/Adivasi community has taken its fight seeking Sch-eduled Tribe
status to Delhi, with senior community leaders here asserting that “dilly dallying” would result in the
government frittering away the gains made by the surrender of arms by five Adivasi militant groups in
January. Assam Deputy Speaker Bhimananda Tanti told The Telegraph from Delhi that a five-member
team of the Assam branch of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (Intuc) was in the national capital
since yesterday trying to impress upon central leaders, including the Prime Minister and home minister, to
expedite the process of according ST status to the community. “We have already met the tribal affairs
minister and made a strong case in support of our long-standing and justified demand. We are awaiting
an appointment with the Prime Minister and home minister,” Tanti said. The other members of the team
include senior cabinet minister Prithibi Majhi, Jibantara Ghatowar, Raju Sahu and Dileswar Tanti. The
team’s visit comes within months of a joint team of the ACMS and Intuc meeting chief minister Tarun
Gogoi and five senior cabinet ministers on the sidelines of the Assembly session on December 21 last
year to discuss their long-pending demands. Gogoi had agreed to meet a host of their demands, including
raising the number of reserved seats in medical and engineering colleges and a new legislation to
adequately compensate members affected by land acquisition drives for government projects. The
community carries a lot of political weight, their vote impacting results in Upper Assam and Barak Valley.
It has traditionally voted for the Congress. In all, six communities are demanding ST status in Assam, with
the issue figuring prominently in the Assembly. Bhagirath Karan, a senior Intuc member, hoped the
Centre would seriously consider the legitimate ST demand of the community within a stipulated
timeframe. The government, he said, must not lose sight of the fact that when the five rebel outfits had
surrendered weapons, their main demand during talks with a home ministry joint secretary was ST status.
“Even the student organisations want ST status. Dilly-dallying, we fear, would not only lead to a loss of
confidence in the government but also revival of these groups or cropping up of new rebel groups.
Moreover, the fear of Maoism spreading to tea garden areas among the disgruntled lot cannot be ruled
out,” Karan warned. Pallav Lochan Das, member of Intuc Legislature Forum, said, “We have already
moved Dispur to accord extra preference to the community for its mainstreaming in matters such as
employment, education and health till ST status is accorded to us.” (Telegraph 22/3/12)
Tribal leaders seek probe into police crackdown (6)
Raipur, March 24 : Tribal leaders in Chhattisgarh Saturday sought a judicial probe into alleged police
atrocities during a street protest in the state capital by hundreds of tribals to seek higher percentage of
quota in government jobs this week. Former union minister and leading tribal leader Arvind Netam told
reporters that policemen cane-charged peaceful protesters March 19 in which dozens of tribals were
injured. He said the police specifically targeted tribal leaders on instructions of the state government and
a judicial probe would bring out the facts. "It was unprovoked police assault on hundreds of tribal people
who were marching to state assembly to press their demands. I was surprised that dozens of injured
protesters were rushed to central jail instead of hospital after the brutal cane-charge," he said. Netam was
among the 75 tribal leaders who were arrested March 19 while leading the protest rally. The government
released them unconditionally March 22, only after the opposition Congress created ruckus in the state
assembly for two days over alleged police brutalities. Sarv Adivasi Samaj, the group under which the
March 19 protest was taken out, has also demanded high-level probe into the police action while the