Tribal families from Nilambur on indefinite strike seeking promised land

Tribal families from Nilambur staging a strike in front of the Collectorate in Malappuram. Rights activist and agitation council convener ‘GROW’ Vasu is in the middle. | Photo Credit: SAKEER HUSSAIN

Sixty tribal families from Nilambur have been staging an agitation in front of the Collectorate here since May 20 demanding land for them as assured by the government.

The agitation is in continuation of a 314-day hunger strike they staged in front of the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) office at Nilambur in 2023-24. That strike was ended on March 18, 2024, following an assurance of land by District Collector V.R. Vinod.

The Collector had assured them in writing that 50 cents of land each would be given to 60 families within six months. However, in spite of repeated reminders and pleas from the tribal families, the district administration could not keep its word.

Bindu Vailassery, leader of the tribal families sitting in dharna in front of the Collectorate, said that they had approached the Collector several times but without success. “We met the Collector on May 20 to press the demand. But he sought three more months, as did before. It has been 15 months since he gave us the assurance. We cannot keep on waiting by pinning hopes on one person,” said Ms. Vailassery.

Human rights activist ‘Grow’ Vasu, who is the convener of the tribal agitation council, said that the government was cheating the tribal families by extending the dates in the name of technicalities.

District Collector V.R. Vinod did not attend repeated calls for his comments. Neither did he call back.

However, district administration officials said that the promised land could not be handed over in time because of technical issues. They said circumventing those technical issues would be time consuming.

Some other sources in the Collectorate indicated that the delay was due to political interventions from leaders of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).

Tribal leaders, meanwhile, asserted that they would not stop their agitation without getting the promised land. “It is not anybody’s largesse or gift to us. It is our right,” said Ms. Vailassery.

Published - May 29, 2025 10:08 pm IST