DC Exclusive: Diddalli A sad cry in the wilderness for land, justice

Mysuru: The tribal lament in Diddalli is growing louder and louder. Around 3,000 tribals who include 1,000 women, two of them pregnant, and 50 children are living in wretched conditions in this hamlet, 110 km from Mysuru, demanding that the state government allot them land in the reserve forest where Diddalli is located.

The government is in a quandary as land allotment would mean breaking the rules applicable to reserve forests where human activity is banned. On Thursday, the tribals led by Muththamma went on a hunger strike, protesting the imposition of prohibitory orders and installation of CCTV cameras and refused food from the ‘Ganji Kendra’ set up by the administration.

“We are not here for their food. We want land for farming and housing sites for all tribals living in the coffee plantations . We will die here if our demands are not met. We are not thieves to be watched all the time,” thundered Muththamma.

Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Richard Vincent D’Souza said they had imposed Section 144 to prevent Naxalites from gaining access to the tribals and added that alternative land had been identified for them. A confrontation is slowly but surely building up in Diddalli.