Call for tribe permanent settlement

Strategic Hamleting and Migration of Tribals

• In 2005, the Government of India implemented a’strategic hamleting’ program to eliminate Maoists in Chhattisgarh.

• The project was a failure, with some tribals returning home to the forests and others joining security forces.

• Some dislocated tribals are now the backbone of the current military successes against Maoists in Chhattisgarh.

Historical Use of the Strategic Hamlet Program

• The government shifted tribals from forests to roadside camps to fight Telangana communist revolutionaries after the surrender of the Nizam.

• The strategy was more successful in Mizoram in the 1960s and in 2019 when the same Mizo tribals started a fight with fellow Bru (Reang) tribals.

Living Conditions of Gutti Koya Tribals

• The government has not shown kindness towards the Gutti Koya tribals, who have been living precariously on illegally occupied forest lands for almost 20 years.

• Around 10,000 Gond tribals have been displaced to other States due to ongoing violence, and most do not want to return.

• The government has not shown any kindness towards the displaced people, despite repeated requests for alternative forest land.

The 2019 Bru Rehabilitation Plan

• Bru tribals were given the option of going back to Mizoram or staying back in Tripura with lesser State support.

• A new generation of Gutti Koya tribals has grown up in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, but they have been denied State support as tribals.

• Courts have occasionally offered relief to displaced tribals, but they are looking for a permanent settlement so that the new generation can live a life of dignity.