Church helps tribals resist land grabs in Jashpur, India

(January 26, 2012) The Church in Chattisgarh’s Jashpur district, India is helping to mount a last ditch campaign to stop the state government from acquiring tribal land for a special economic zone. As the state pushes ahead with its massive industrial plans, thousands of tribal people in the central Indian state face losing their homes, land and livelihood. But due to the resistance being shown by Jashpur diocese and local inhabitants, the government is yet to succeed in its attempts. The Church is animating the people under the Jameen Bachao Sangarsh Samiti (Save Land Association), says Jesuit Father Oscar Tirkey, a professor at Loyola College, in Kunkuri. The Oraon tribal priest says the district has more than 200,000 tribal Catholics in the state. “We are not against development. But we want to save people and their land. Where will they go?” he asked. According to Fr Tirkey, the government has signed 112 memorandums of understanding with large companies. The deals would involve 765 villages in the district being taken over by these companies and the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, mostly tribal Catholics, he added. Church officials say the level of opposition in part has been inspired by the fact that villagers are fighting with their backs against a wall. According to the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, a company has to buy at least 70 percent of the land before the state can use emergency provisions to acquire the rest. “We may be able to stop this from happening by holding bigger rallies and raising the stakes at the state assembly,” says Bishop Emmanuel Kerketta of Jashpur.