Reacting to claims made by activists that women are subjected to “molestation” by Forest Department staffs in the Sunderbans, State’s Forest Minister Binay Krishna Barman told The Hindu that the government will look into the matter. Mr. Barman did not refute the allegations entirely and said that he would initiate action if the allegations are correct.
Earlier in the week environmental activists and legal experts, including Medha Patkar, anthropologist Nandini Sundar and Kolkata-based activist Naba Dutta, visited the Sunderbans archipelago in south Bengal. They had alleged that women in various villages of Sunderbans have told them at a public hearing that they are often subjected to “molestation, verbal and physical abuse” by the staffs of the Forest Department. “The women community members have raised complaints on charges of molestation, verbal and physical abuse against the FD staff,” the release issued by the activists on Thursday claimed.
Taking cognizance of The Hindu 's report the Forest Minister said: “Perhaps such incidents have taken place. We will definitely look into the matter and take action if the allegations prove to be true.”
The activists had alleged the villagers in the islands are tortured in multiple ways and are “required to pay fines arbitrarily.”
Refuting the allegations of “torture” the Mr Barman said that “perhaps the locals have said such things out of their grudge for being prevented from entering the core area” of the Sunderbans which is the central habitat of the tigers. ‘Project Tiger’s [core] area has recently been extended without the consent of the local gram sabhas. This goes against the Forest Rights Act (2006),” said Medha Patkar, who visited the site last Sunday.
Project Tiger is a conservation programme launched by the Central Government in 1972 to boost tiger population in the country. She criticised the State Government for not protecting the “livelihood, culture and identity” of the dwellers by implementing the FRA.
Mr Barman, however, pointed out “if one enters the core area and gets killed by tigers then he or she is not entitled to any compensation.”
