Tribal huts demolished in Wayanad, protests erupt against forest officials

Mananthavadi: Protests are gaining momentum against forest department officials responsible for demolishing three tribal huts at the Kollimoola tribal settlement in Begur, part of the Tholpetty forest range in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS). The homes of Lakshmi, Anilkumar, and Meenakshi, who have lived on the forest land for over 16 years, were destroyed by forest staff on Sunday.

According to officials, the demolition was part of a move to evacuate settlements in the elephant corridors adjacent to the WWS. Attempts to contact Wayanad Wildlife Warden Varun Dalia for comment were unsuccessful.

Interestingly, the tribal settlement is located in Tirunelli panchayat, the home constituency of O R Kelu, Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and Backward Classes. When contacted, the minister's office stated that the forest department had already been alerted and appropriate action would be taken against the officials responsible.

The incident only came to light on Monday following intervention from tribal rights groups. The three families, including a newborn and schoolchildren, were forced to spend the night in the jungle after their huts were destroyed. "We had to stay in the jungle all night; we never expected the officials would destroy our homes," said Lakshmi, one of the affected tribal women.

Tribal activist C K Janu emphasised the need for swift action against the forest officials. "Are they so unaware of the Forest Rights Act, under which tribes have the right to live on forest land?" she asked. "Those officials demolished our homes simply because we are tribals," she added, lamenting that such actions against tribal people are common in the state.

Meanwhile, a group of tribal leaders, including former minister P K Jayalakshmi and Kalpetta MLA Adv T Siddique, launched an indefinite sit-in outside the office of the Assistant Wildlife Warden at the Tholpetty forest range on Monday evening. In response, Forest Minister A K Saseendran issued a press statement confirming that he had directed the state’s chief wildlife warden to suspend the officials involved in the demolition.

The issue was eventually resolved following discussions between Wayanad Wildlife Warden Varun Dalia, Kalpetta MLA T Siddique, former minister P K Jayalakshmi, and Forest Minister A K Saseendran, in a conference call. It was decided that the tribal families would be provided with temporary accommodation in a forest department dormitory, and an internal inquiry into the incident would be conducted. After the meeting, Siddique told reporters that the protest had been called off following assurances from Minister A K Saseendran that temporary housing would be arranged for the families, and strict action would be taken against the responsible forest officials.