In a significant grassroots movement, the tribal communities residing within the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve in Karnataka are organising for their rights. The district administrations of Mysuru and Kodagu, alongside the forest department, are preparing for an unprecedented mobilisation as these communities hold their first-ever organised gram sabhas in their traditional settlements, known as haadis.
Historic Mobilisation for Forest Rights
This collective action is spearheaded by the Nagarahole Adivasi Jamma Paale Hakku Stapana Samiti (NAJHSS). The samiti has united Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), including the Jenu Kuruba, Erava (Yerava/Ravula), and Paniya (Paniyan) communities. The campaign, which began earlier in Kodagu district, formally entered Mysuru district at Periyapatna on Tuesday.
The series of village meetings is expected to lead to unanimous resolutions. These resolutions will demand the recognition of land, community, and forest produce rights as guaranteed under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006. JK Thimma of NAJHSS stated that the organisation plans to conduct gram sabhas in all 42 haadis within the reserve. "Through these gram sabhas, we are pressing the government to honour the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006," he explained.
Key Demands and Symbolic Assembly
Expressing deep frustration over bureaucratic delays, Thimma highlighted that claims submitted as early as 2009 remain pending. "Our applications have not been honoured for over a decade. We are left with no other option," he said. The drive began on December 21 at Titimati village in Kodagu, with village committees and residents holding meetings in every settlement to formally pass resolutions.
A critical demand emerging from these assemblies is the removal of camera traps installed inside haadis. The tribal communities assert that these devices violate their privacy and dignity. Furthermore, in every gram sabha, a powerful resolution has been passed to declare December 20 as the ‘Day of Land Grab in the Name of Tiger Conservation.’
This date marks the declaration of the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve in 2007, which the adivasis say was done without their consent. To protest what they term an illegal takeover of their traditional land, the villages have resolved to observe this day annually as one of protest and remembrance.
Major Gathering Planned for January 2026
The movement is building towards a major convergence. As part of the next phase, adivasi families will assemble at Kere Haadi in HD Kote taluk on January 2, 2026. This site holds symbolic importance as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah interacted with the tribals there in November 2024. Tribal leaders have announced they will gather near the Udbur Gate and await government officials for talks, marking a crucial moment in their long-standing struggle for justice and legal recognition of their ancestral rights.
