Hundreds of tribal individuals rallied in protest against the arrest of forest rights activist Nitin and ongoing repressive actions by Burhanpur police in Madhya Pradesh. The Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS), a tribal rights organization, has been opposing the illegal tree felling over 15,000 acres of forest land by the timber mafia for the past 10 months. They’ve also been advocating for tribal forest rights and access to minor forest produce.
Nitin, an activist associated with JADS and a graduate from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, was taken into custody by Burhanpur police on August 29. He has been working to raise awareness about the Forest Rights Act of 2005 and other constitutional rights of tribal and Dalit communities. The JADS claims that the timber mafia has colluded with the state, although the police reject these allegations, asserting that Nitin’s arrest is related to an older case involving incitement of a mob. This case stems from a March incident where tribal protests against deforestation led to confrontations with forest officers and subsequent arrests.
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