Kokrajhar Relief Work

by Rashmi Ekka 

 

Another onslaught of the State upon adivasis to evict them from land which has long been their home.  Adivasis from Chottanagpur were taken to Assam by the British in the 1800s to work in tea gardens. Hence they are considered as outsiders by local Assamese population including Bodos. The story is old, nevertheless, the agony of being deceived and brutally assaulted continues as nothing much has changed since then.The claims of compensation, the petitions for development measures for all those evicted at the Kokrajhar district of Assam still remains neglected even today as we revisit the inhuman treatment and torture meted out to adivasis.

More than 200 Forest Guards from the Bodo community had torched 1,200 houses in 33 villages, in an act of ethnic violence on October 30th – October 31st 2010. The men were chased and fearing arrest they hid themselves. The food stock kept safe in the baskets and granaries were burnt, the livestock was carried away as booty, and the utensils /cooking pots were smashed. The women who protested were molested. A total of 40 men were arrested. The Eviction Team also burned down 8 schools, and 2 churches. In total 1,200 families with 7,000 individuals are affected.

Adivasi Development Network (ADN) and its partner organization, PAJHRA worked to provide relief.  As the people had lost all their possessions when their homes were burnt down, the people required tarpaulins to setup temporary shelter, blankets, clothes, soap and food supplies.  Our first priority was to provide for babies and young children who have suffered most during the incident.

ADN’s partner, PAJHRA is one of the most reputable Adivasi-run NGOs in Assam. PAJHRA’s staff worked along with DBSS (another development organization) on the ground.  Our collective strategy so far has included working in concert with all development players in the region and reaching out to individuals as well as organizations for relief aid.

Two medical camps have been conducted by NRHM and medical aid has been provided by Mother Teresa Sisters.  Another group called Santhal Colony Charitable Society which comprises of local leaders have provided rice to most affected families.  PAJHRA is seeking assistance from Caritas India and we expect that within the week they will distribute tarpaulin, blankets, medicated soaps, cooking utensils and clothing to some families.

Our online campaign had two main objectives:

1.    A help request for people to  provide relief to those in need in Kokrajhar. Donate online using the button on the ADN page
2.    Raise awareness about the incident and urge your family and friends to donate for relief as well. Kokrajhar Emergency Relief Fund.

For more information about ADN please visit our website www.adivasinetwork.org.

 

Rashmi Ekka is the founder of ADN and volunteers and leads the team as the Executive Director and also serves on the Board. Rashmi grew up in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. In her day job she works as a finance and research specialist for an international development consulting firm.

1 Comment

  1. Raveen Nathan says:

    Keep up your great work

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