"The Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award-2009" to Developmental Association for Human Advancement-Dehat

Developmental Association for Human Advancement which is popular by its short name-Dehat, has been awarded with Manjunath Shanmugam National Integrity Award-2009 on 13th June,2009 at Indian Institute of Management-IIM, Bangalooru. This award was given by Manjunath Shanmugam Trust and presented by Ms. Aruna Roy-a well known social activist and Ramon Magsaysay Award winner.The Manjunath Shanmugam Trust is an International alumni initiative in memory of Manjunath Shanmugam. He was an IIM-Lucknow alumnus and Indian Oil Corporation Limited officer, who was murdered while working against oil adulteration.The award was given to Dehat for its 5 year struggle for the rights of communities living in the forest villages without any identity and rights of Indian citizens. They are living in the forests since 1865 by the forest records.During the struggle period, Dehat team and the leaders were attacked several times by the corrupt forest officials, 14 fake forest cases and one crime case was registered on the community leaders and Dehat workers, but we didnt backed. The fight is still continued. But finally, we got success to bring the smile on the deprived and hopeless faces by a well planned peoples owned movement.

Details of the Situation
Bahraich is one of the most backward districts of Uttar Pradesh identified one in 100 most backward districts of India by the Planning Commission situated in Indo-Nepal Border region.
Mihinpurwa is the most backward block in Bahraich district.
The major share of the block is covered by the forest.
There are 8 villages in the forest area inhibited on forest lands. All are well known as forest villages ‘Vangram’. The names of the villages are; Bhawanipur, Bichhia, Bichhia Bazar, Mahboob Nagar, Gokulpur, Kailash Nagar, Nai Basti and Nishad Nagar. All the villages are consisted with a population of 14998 (1991 families) .
I
n the 18th Century British Government implemented permanent settlement of land for collection of more and more revenues and land holdings of the farmers gone In the control of the landlords [Jammendars] and most of the farmers became land less and large number of them became agricultural labor.

At the same time, in the year of 1865 the British’s initiated “Forest Management System” first time in India to occupy and develop forests because there was a hues need of wood in constructions and rail development. For the forest development works they were needed number of cheapest or free laborers.

For this, the British’s made announcements in the villages that those who need land can fallow them. Large number of the labors left their native places and they were provided vacant land in the forest areas where they can construct their houses and use the land for the agricultural purposes. The British Government also fixed land tax lagan @ 37 paisa per beegha (0.5 acre). In return these people have to perform works like –
-Free labour without wages in all kind of forest development works.
-Free labour during the hunting time of British officials.
-Free of cast cow or buffalo calf for using as the food for wild animals during the hunting by
forest officials.
-Free labor for preparing forest roads.

The condition of these villages was too different and pathetic in comparison to the rest part of country. Some facts are as under:
They were not being considered as Indian citizen.
These villages were not considered as or part of any Gram/Kshetra/Zila Panchayat defined under Indian/Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act-1995.
Their names were not registered in Family Register Part-2, which is necessary to prove their identity.
Because of no registration in Family Register Part-2, they were not considered eligible for any type of Govt. schemes, no residence, caste and income certificate was issued by any Govt. official to these forest village residents, due to lack of residence, caste and income certificates, these villagers were not eligible for opening their bank accounts in any nationalized bank and taking bank loans for self employment initiatives, applying in Govt. jobs, applying for passport etc.

Besides, the Below Poverty Line (BPL) survey was never conducted in these villages.

All these villages were not mentioned in census also.

There was no ownership of land to any body.

They were the victims of severe atrocities and exploitation of Forest officials also in the following manner:
· The “begaar”( work without wages) was continued after the independence for 10-12 Hours against no wages.
· They were giving 1/3rd of the grain grown by them to the forest officials as ‘Tihai’.
· They were giving 50% milk and milk products to the forest officials.
· They were paying cash also time to time on demand to forest officials.
· The forest officials often imprisoned their animals in the ‘Kanzi Houses’ and against a bribe of Rs. 500 to 1000 per animal, they can take their animals with them.
· They were never given compensation against the crop or animal losses by wild animals.
· In case of opposition by any villager, the forest officials destroyed him/her.
There was only one school opened in 1972 but running in the shadow of a tree and no schools were in the rest forest villages.
There no PDS shops or ration cards were given to any body.
There were no ICDS Centers and no sub health centers.
No compensations were ever given to the forest villagers against the losses during natural calamities or disasters.
No Govt. officials were appointed in these villages.

Gravity of the Situation and its impact
Due to the reasons described above, all the residents of forest villages were out of mainstream. They were living with the pain of Govt. partiality by all means. A resident living in a revenue village was enjoying all the rights facilities of an Indian citizen but the villagers living in the forest villages were deprived of all these rights.
The impact of the situation was recorded as under in the Year of-2004:
Because all the youths of these forest villages were excluded by all means, so all were
frustrated.
The Maoist Movement in Nepal was on peak and there was a positive situation for the youths
of the forest villages to be engaged in anti-nation nuxal activities because majority of the
youths are dependent on Nepal for their livelihood.
4 youths interested to join para military force-SSB (Shashastra Seema Bal) were

pushed out from the row of selected soldiers because then haven’t residence certificates.
The poorest villagers were facing food insecurity on regular basis.

Not a single youth has got any Govt. job or bank loan to make him/her self reliant.

A major share of women and children were malnourish.

No benefit of Govt. schemes was ever given to these villages.

All the villagers have been accepted this exclusion as their destiny.

698 children out of school because of no facilities.

There was no system for birth and death recording.

Because of severe poverty they were dependant on local money lenders and a hues loan amount of Rs. 33.64 Lakhs on 10-20% interest rate was recorded on 261 families which was taken from money lenders and Rs. 20.50 Lakh from relatives.

The forest department stopped the collection of lagan in 1999-2000 and declared them encroachers.

The trafficking of youths and boys were increasing to the western part of Uttar Pradesh.

Finally, in the month of May of the year of 2004, the forest department announced to demolish all the villages without any rehabilitation option. The situation was very serious and not a single official was ready to listen the poor villagers.

Constructive steps taken by 'Dehat' to correct the situation
At this situation of crisis, the struggle for the basic constitutional rights of the forest villagers was begin before 6 years, when a voluntary organization named-‘Developmental Association for Human Advancement’ popular by it’s short name ‘Dehat’ leaded by a youth named Dr. Jitendra Chaturvedi has done a study titled “Slave Forest Villages in Independent India” to under stand the situation and started a movement in the area famous today as ‘Vangram AZADI movement’ in 2004-05. Right from the beginning, the process was initiated to own the whole movement in the leadership of community.

A CBO of affected villagers named-“Vangram Adhikar Manch-VAM” was formed. Not a single member from out side was given place in VAM.

160 leaders from the affected community were identified as the cadre.

A theme slogan “Jai Azaadi” was given to the villagers as well as the movement to unite the villagers beyond their divisions in caste or religions.

Initiated a local fund for the movement named-“Gram Kosh”. Each family contributes Rs. 1/- per head in this fund on monthly basis. The majority of the expenses are meeting out from this fund.

All the leaders were capacitated under the various capacity building efforts on the following issues:
The Constitutional Rights of Indian Citizens.
Right To Food
Child Rights
Human Rights.
Environment, Forest and Wild Life Acts and Policies.

Started a dialogue between Govt. administration and the affected community but situation became more serious.

The following mass efforts under the movements were organized during the years:
· The first demonstration was initiated on 1st April, 2006 for demanding ‘Recognition of Citizen Rights’ at Bichhia Bazar.

· The second demonstration was initiated on 14th June, 2006 on ‘Tahseel Diwas’ at Nanpara tahaseel headquarter on the issues related to their basic rights.

· The 3rd demonstration was organized at Motipur Forest Barrier in the duration of 15-17th June, 2006 against the atrocities of forest officials and the memorandum was handed over to Labour Minister of UP.

· On 22nd June,2006 a demonstration was organized by the villagers in Patel Park-Lucknow and a memorandum was handed over to the representative of Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

· On 6th March, 2007 a demonstration was organized by 1000 children of forest villages for demanding schools and ICDS centers at District Headquarter.

· In May-2007, a demonstration and protest rally was organized on ‘Land Rights’ at District Headquarter.

· In the duration of 1-8 September-2008, a mass protest rally and foot march was organized from Motipur to Bahraich covering a distance of 70 Km. , Hunger Strike by 700-1000 villagers and “Evening oven closing” in all the villages against the fake cases on 123 poor and innocent villagers by the forest officials by misusing forest and wild life acts.

Empowered villagers for not to work without wages ‘begaar’, not to give grain, vegetables, milk or other ‘gifts’ to govt. officials. Finally, all these were stopped.

Empowered villagers for not to give any kind of bribe against their bounded animals in ‘kanzi houses’ or to protect their selves from the atrocities.

Villagers started to say “no” to forest or police officials against all above.

Villagers started to oppose atrocities and finally these were stopped.

During the preparation of the bill named ‘Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest rights) Bill-2005’ the suggestions and demands were sent to the ‘Joint Parliamentary Committee-JPC’ to include non-scheduled tribes in the bill and it was well accepted by the JPC which is now an important part of Act. This act came into existence in December-2006 as ‘Traditional Forest Dwellers and Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest rights) Act-2005’.

The villagers were facilitated to take over the possession of 2 ‘Kanzi Houses’ and finally both are under the victims.

Facilitated villagers to use Right To Information Act-2005 and as a result 567 applications were submitted to the different departments on the provisions and Govt. restrictions on their basic rights. This effort has given tremendous results.

All kind of atrocities have been stopped and the reason behind is only community empowerment.

Finally, the implementation of ‘Traditional Forest Dwellers and Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest rights) Act-2005’ is in progress and the victims are given sufficient place in implementing bodies constituted under the act. Now they are on the way to convert their dreams into realities.

44 children were rescued from the human traffickers in attempts made by the organization and 2 accused were arrested.

Difficulties Faced
One criminal case and 14 fake cases under forest and wild life acts on emerging forest
villager leaders and team members.

A lot of inquiries and investigations by Intelligence Bureau-IB, Local Intelligence Unit (LIU),
Shashastra Seema Bal-SSB (Para Military Force), CID, Ante Terrorist Cell etc.

Direct violent attacks on the team members.

Misuse of media and miss-interpretation of the movement objectives by the forest
officials.

False charges of encroachment on forest lands, illegal collection of money for the
movement etc.

Threats of murder through encounters.