Tribal Land Evictions: An Investigative Timeline of Tribal Land Evictions from India And Other Lands Without Justice

The Silent War on Tribal Land Evictions

The Hasdeo Aranya forest, spanning 1,700 square kilometers across Chhattisgarh, India, is home to over 5,000 Gond and Oraon tribal people. In 2022, the region became a battleground when the state government approved 15 coal blocks for mining, threatening 18 villages. Bulldozers arrived under police escort, felling ancient sal trees and demolishing homes. Similar scenes unfold globally: in Brazil’s Amazon, the Munduruku tribe battles illegal gold miners; in Indonesia’s Papua, the Auyu people resist palm oil conglomerates.

Why This Matters:

• Tribal communities constitute 5% of the global population but protect 80% of Earth’s biodiversity (World Bank, 2023).

• Over 370 million indigenous people worldwide face displacement due to extractive industries (UN, 2022).

This timeline of tribal land evictions includes ground reports, legal documents, and global data to expose systemic exploitation of tribal communities masked as “development.”

1. India’s Tribal Land Evictions: A Crisis in Numbers

Historical Context

Post-independence India’s industrialization prioritized dams, mines, and factories, often built on tribal lands. Between 1950 and 2000, 50 million people were displaced nationwide; 40% were tribal(Economic and Political Weekly, 2018).

Key Data:

• 3,000+ dams built since 1947 displaced 16 million people (South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, 2021).

• 90% of India’s coal, 50% of minerals, and 30% of groundwater reserves lie in tribal regions (Ministry of Tribal Affairs, 2020).

Case Study: Hasdeo Aranya, Chhattisgarh

Project Details:

• The Parsa East and Kete Basan (PEKB) coal mine, operated by Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam (RRVUNL) and Adani Enterprises, will excavate 1,131 million tonnes of coal.

• 450,000 trees marked for felling in a region declared a “no-go” zone for mining by the Environment Ministry in 2010 (MoEFCC, 2010).

Ground Report:
In Hariharpur village, 72 families received tribal land evictions notices in 2023. Compensation offers of ₹10 lakh ($12,000) per family ignored the loss of forest-dependent livelihoods.

Survivor Testimony:
“Our ancestors lived here for centuries. Now, they call us ‘encroachers.’ The forest is our god—how can we sell it?”
— Sukhmati Bai, Hariharpur resident, after receiving a tribal land eviction notice

Government Response:
Chhattisgarh’s Energy Minister claimed mining would “power India’s growth,” but failed to address allegations of forged consent documents when asked the status of tribal land evictions(The Hindu, 2023).

2. Legal Betrayal: How Laws Are Weaponized Against Tribes

India’s Legal Framework

• Forest Rights Act (2006): Grants tribes ownership over ancestral lands. Requires Gram Sabha (village council) consent for land diversion.

• Land Acquisition Act (2013): Mandates social impact assessments and compensation.

Violations Documented:

• Maharashtra (2022): The Great Nicobar Island plan bypassed Gram Sabha consent by classifying the Shompen tribe’s land as “barren” (Down To Earth, 2023).

• Odisha (2023): In the POSCO steel plant case, the Supreme Court found the state guilty of using police force to evict 22,000 people without rehabilitation (Scroll.in, 2023).

Legal Expert Insight:
“The Forest Rights Act is systematically undermined. Officials reject land claims by labeling tribes ‘non-forest dwellers.’”
— Dr. Sharachchandra Lele, Senior Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment

Global Comparison:

• Brazil: Despite constitutional protections, Bolsonaro’s government slashed funding for FUNAI (indigenous affairs agency), enabling illegal mining (Amnesty International, 2022).

• Canada: The Wet’suwet’en protests against Coastal GasLink pipeline highlight similar conflicts, where courts prioritized corporate interests over indigenous sovereignty (The Guardian, 2020).

3. Global Parallels: Instances of Tribal Land Evictions From Brazil to Indonesia

Brazil: Mining and Militias

Under Bolsonaro, deforestation in the Amazon surged to 13,235 sq km annually (INPE, 2022). The Yanomami tribe faced a humanitarian crisis as 20,000 illegal miners invaded their reserve, contaminating rivers with mercury.

Testimony from the Amazon:
“Our children are dying from malaria and malnutrition. The miners burn our homes if we resist.”
— Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, tribal leader

Indonesia: Palm Oil and Erased Villages

In West Papua, the Auyu tribe lost 90% of their land to PT Indo Asiana Lestari, a palm oil firm. Satellite imagery shows 1.2 million hectares deforested since 2020 (Mongabay, 2023).

Corporate Tactics:

• Land Grabbing: Companies bribe local officials to falsify land records (Gecko Project, 2022).

• Intimidation: Security forces arrest tribal leaders protesting plantations (Human Rights Watch, 2023).

4. The Human Cost: Health, Hunger, and Cultural Erasure

Health Impacts

• Jaduguda Uranium Mines, Jharkhand:

  • Radiation levels near tailing ponds measure 20x safe limits (BARC Report, 2019).

  • Tribal villages report congenital disabilities in 1 in 4 newborns (IDPD, 2021).

Medical Expert Statement:
“Uranium exposure causes DNA damage across generations. Yet, no health camp has been set up here in 50 years.”
— Dr. Shakeel Ur Rahman, Indian Doctors for Peace and Development

Cultural Genocide

• Language Loss: 42% of India’s tribal languages are endangered (UNESCO, 2023).

• Sacred Sites Destroyed: In Niyamgiri, Odisha, Vedanta’s bauxite mine demolished the Dongria Kondh tribe’s worship site (Survival International, 2022).

5. Corporate Complicity: The Adani and Vedanta Playbook

Adani Group’s Land Acquisitions

• Jhargram, West Bengal (2023): Villagers allege Adani forged land deeds to acquire 1,200 acres for a solar park. A PIL revealed 87% of sellers were impersonated (The Wire, 2023).

• Australia’s Carmichael Mine: Adani faced fines for destroying indigenous cultural heritage sites (ABC News, 2021).

Vedanta’s Environmental Crimes

• Niyamgiri Hills, Odisha:

  • Vedanta’s refinery contaminated the Vamsadhara River, causing skin lesions and crop failure.

  • The Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling required tribal consent for mining, but Vedanta continues operations via subsidiaries (Business Standard, 2023).

6. Resistance and Hope: Tribal Movements Fighting Back

India’s Grassroots Movements

• Jharkhand’s Pathalgadi Movement: Tribes erected stone slabs declaring sovereignty under Article 244 of the Constitution. State retaliation included mass arrests (The Quint, 2020).

• Kerala’s Chengara Struggle: Landless Dalits and Adivasis occupied corporate rubber plantations for 700 days, winning 12,000 land titles (The News Minute, 2022).

Global Solidarity

• #LandBack Campaign: Indigenous groups from Canada to Australia demand repatriation of stolen lands. In 2022, the U.S. returned 18,000 acres to the Esselen tribe (Reuters, 2022).

• Financial Divestment: Norway’s $1.3 trillion sovereign fund blacklisted Adani Ports over human rights concerns (Bloomberg, 2023).

7. Solutions: What Governments Must Do

Policy Overhaul

• Strengthen FPIC: Align India’s laws with the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights.

• Land Audits: Independent audits of corporate landholdings to identify illegal acquisitions (Land Conflict Watch, 2023).

Grassroots Empowerment

• Legal Aid: Expand funding for tribal legal cells to challenge land grabs.

• Community Forests: Replicate Nepal’s model, where 35% of forests are community-managed (World Resources Institute, 2022).

Citations and Sources

1. Ministry of Tribal Affairs, 2020: Annual Report on Tribal Resources.

2. Amnesty International, 2022: Brazil’s Indigenous Crisis.

3. The Wire, 2023: Adani’s Jhargram Land Scam.

4. UNESCO, 2023: Atlas of Endangered Languages.

5. World Resources Institute, 2022: Community Forest Management in Nepal.