Mysuru: Ignoring the semi-nude protest atop a tree by tribal leader Muthamma and her threat to commit suicide, forest officials and the police forcibly evicted over 2,500 tribals, including women and children from Diddalli in the Devamachchi reserve forest area of Kodagu Saturday morning.
The tribals, who were evicted from the spot months ago, had reoccupied it last week while the police slept in a school nearby. With their huts destroyed, the tribals were taken in lorries to Bedagudda, where the district administration will provide them sites.
A defeated Muthamma relented and climbed down from her perch on the tree at around noon after MLA K J Bopaiah promised to resolve the tribals’ troubles at the earliest
With tears welling up her eyes, she said the forest officials arrived at the spot with police at 6 am on Saturday. “While some gathered their belongings, others began to protest the eviction and a couple of them were beaten up by the police. We were shocked and I climbed up the tree and removed my chudidar top to hold a semi-nude in protest against this brutal attack on us. It was only then that the police stopped hitting our people. Our screams and cries went unheard. No NGO or human rights activists came to our help,” she regretted, adding, “Why don’t they do the same to rich planters, who have encroached hundreds of acres of forest and waste land?”
Demanding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visit the tribals to see their distress for himself, Muthamma said she was stopped from committing suicide by her people.
“While MLA Bopaiah has agreed to get us land for farming and money to build houses from the government, our protest will not stop. They cannot cheat us,” she asserted.
Fact sheet
- June 20, 2016: Tribals left their line houses on Kodagu plantations, claiming they were treated as bonded labour and moved to the forests of Diddalli where their ancestors had lived.
- December 7: When the number of their huts touched 577, district admistration evicted them. Tribal leader Muthamma went on a nude march and tribals set up camp on the footpath opposite Diddalli school.
- December 23 : Tribals called off protest after minister Anjaneya promised to give them land for farming and sites for houses. Although they were offered the latter, they refused to accept them, saying they wanted the full package.
- May 2, 2017 : Tribals rebuilt huts in Didddalli forests overnight and re-launched their protest.
- May 6: They were evicted and forcefully relocated to Bedagudda.
