‘Forest land encroached’: Tribals protest inside Balod collectorate

Raipur: What began as a protest over alleged encroachment on tribal land turned escalated into confrontations inside the Balod collectorate on Tuesday, with hundreds of tribal protesters storming the campus, cooking food inside the premises and compelling the administration into late-evening negotiations after hours of high drama.

At the heart of the confrontation lies an increasingly volatile dispute surrounding alleged encroachment and construction inside reserve forest land near Tuegondi and Jamripath villages, where tribal groups claim sacred traditional deity sites are under threat by constructions activities of a religious shrine being carried out without gram sabha approval.

In scenes rarely witnessed in Chhattisgarh’s district headquarters, members of the Sarva Adivasi Samaj broke through triple-layer police barricades, tore down tin sheets fixed along the collectorate boundary wall and occupied the main entrance of the joint district office while raising slogans against the administration.

By evening, the collectorate resembled a protest camp more than a govt complex.

Women sat around burning chulhas inside the premises as protesters distributed food among the crowd. Loudspeakers blared speeches accusing the administration of ignoring tribal gram sabha resolutions and allowing alleged illegal construction inside reserve forest land in Tuegondi-Jamripath area of Dondi Lohara block.

Tensions escalated after police personnel attempted to douse one of the stoves by pouring water on it, triggering angry scenes between women protesters and police.

The agitation finally eased around 7pm after the additional collector issued orders to stop the ongoing construction activity. However, Sarva Adivasi Samaj leaders warned that they would launch a larger agitation on June 20 if concrete action was not taken.

Sarva Adivasi Samaj district president Tukaram Korram alleged that construction worth nearly Rs 1.25 crore was being carried out in the reserve forest area without gram sabha approval.

“Our traditional deity sites are being destroyed in the name of religious activity. Complaints have been made repeatedly since 2019, but no action has been taken,” Korram alleged.

The protesters specifically targeted a “controversial self-styled baba”, accusing him of occupying forest land and expanding construction activities inside the disputed area.

Tribal leaders claimed nearly 12 acres of land had been encroached upon and demanded immediate removal of alleged illegal structures, protection of tribal religious sites and an impartial inquiry into the construction activities of the religious shrine that protestors claim is occupying forest land.

Former MLA Janklal Thakur and tribal leader Shyam Singh Netam also joined the protest and backed demands for restoration of tribal land rights and enforcement of gram sabha authority.