Tribal-Dalit Conflict Over Land: A Case of Narayanpatna Land Movement in the Koraput District of Odisha

Abstract

Land as the most viable resource for sustaining tribal life is under threat because of continuous land alienation and encroachment in tribal areas of Koraput district (Odisha) in general and Narayanpatna in particular. Among the encroachers who alienate tribal land, the non-tribes and migrant Dalits from coastal areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are present with other Hindu upper castes and landlords. The land laws preventing the sale of tribal lands to non-tribals remain in paper. The land dispute, which remained unsettled for generations with the negligence of the administration, was sought to be resolved by the concerted efforts of thousands of tribals led by the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) of Narayanpatna. In the long run, through the movement, the tribals have been able to take their lands back from the clutches of ‘hooch traders’ (the Dalits, locally called as ‘Sundhis’ or local liquor vendors) and landlords, what was rightfully theirs. However, the government has done nothing concrete in this regard despite the continuous demands from the tribals to restore their lands and has, in fact, suppressed the movement with all brute force by arresting the tribal activists and projecting it as a brutal attack by the Maoists over the poor Dalits in the area.