The indefinite ‘nilppu samaram’ (standing protest) of the Adivasis from across the State in front of the Secretariat, which completed 67 days, got support from an unexpected quarter on Sunday — the film fraternity. A group of film-makers and actors from the industry joined the tribespeople in their protest and expressed solidarity with their cause.
Those who turned up on Sunday included film-makers Aashiq Abu and Biju Damodaran and actors Mythili, Srinda, Sreenath Bhasi, and Pearle Manney. They were welcomed by the protesters with traditional drum beats.
“We joined the protest after learning about the neglect this protest has been facing from the government. This is unfortunate and we hope to attract more attention to their cause with our presence. In the coming days, more people from the industry are expected to come here and support them,” Mr. Aashiq Abu said.
Some of the protesters commented on the strong presence of the media on Sunday. “We have been standing here and shouting our throats out for many days but none bothered to turn this side. Now that people from the film industry have turned up, everyone is interested. We are thankful to these actors and film-makers for taking their time out and coming here to help our voices reach more people,” said one of them.
The Adivasis started the standing protest on July 9 demanding that the State government honour the package it had promised in 2001, to tackle hunger deaths in Adivasi villages and to implement the Forest Rights Act in right earnest. The protest had become a point of discussion in social media.
