Tribals In Nilambur Resume Indefinite Strike Demanding Govt. To Allocate Land

The tribals called off their 314-day strike on March 18, 2024, following a promise from V.R. Vinod, the District Collector. He promised the protestors that 50 cents of the land would be allotted to them. As nothing concrete has been done, the irate tribals resumed their strike at the Collectorate office.

Initially, the strike was started at the office of the Nilambur Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) on May 10, 2023. Since the promise was not fulfilled yet, the tribal families restarted the strike on May 20, 2025, seeking the immediate allocation of the land that was promised to them in 2024.

“We have been protesting in front of the Malappuram Collectorate for the past 12 days. The government has not been able to keep up the promise. The Collectorate has been violating our rights. The tribal community has been betrayed. We are protesting in support of our demand,” said Bindu Vailasherry, who is leading the agitation.

More than 200 families from the communities of Naikkar, Kurumar, and Alar, residing in tribal colonies of Nilambur, Akampadam, Idivanna, Mailadi, and Pottu Kallumbu are participating in the strike.

“Landlessness is the root cause of all the problems faced by the tribal community today. The government allotted us five to twenty cents of land, where we have to construct houses without proper distance. This creates a lack of privacy and diminishes harmony between families. If we get enough land, we can earn a livelihood through cultivation and ensure a better education and life for our children” said Bindu Vailassery of Nilambur.

However, the government officials denied the demand raised by the protestors. The ITDP officials claimed that there was not enough land to distribute to the sixty families. However, the claims of officials proved to be wrong when protestors pointed out that the lands were available in Nilambur Kovilakam, Palakkayam plantation, and Vennakode. They alleged that most of the land was encroached on by land mafias.