NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has sought a report from the Kerala government on the action taken on its recommendations in the case where a 27-year-old tribal youth Madhu was allegedly beaten to death in Attappadi in Kerala's Palakkad district.
NCST has sought an investigation into the role of the forest officials who allowed non-tribals enter into the area of scheduled tribes. On February 22, Madhu a group of 16 people allegedly beat him to death.
According to the NCST, it was a lapse of the forest officials who let people enter the reserved forest where they attacked Madhu. The Commission has recommended that the state government should provide pension to Madhu's mother as her current job as an anganwadi worker has no provisions for pension.
The state government should also provide 10 acres land under the Forest Rights Act to Madhu's mother on a priority basis and that the action taken report submitted to the NCST. With rights of tribals being infringed upon which makes the community vulnerable, the NCST has flagged a number of issues in order to improve on the existing situation for tribals.
The NCST has sought a comprehensive report on the issue of alienation and restoration of tribal land and the implementation of the Kerala Restriction on Transfer By and Restoration of Lands to Scheduled Tribes Act, 1999 from the district collector of Palakkad. The restoration of lands means ensuring that tribal groups have access to lands from which they have been alienated for years now.
The government needs to resolve a number of other issues which are posing as challenges for the welfare of tribals, the Commission has pointed out. These include the illegal transfer of tribal land to non scheduled tribes, non Scheduled Tribes running commercial shops on tribal land in forest areas, non-action against forest officials who allow non tribals to run these activities, and the construction of residences of non STs in these lands."There is an immediate need to mainstream the tribal communities and train them for small-scale activities in the tribal land and preserve their lands for inhabitation," said a senior NCST official.