March silently in protest

Demand lifting of prohibitory orders in Agency areas

March for entitlements: Adivasi women taking out a silent march at Indervelli in Adilabad district on Saturday.

Adivasis of Indervelli mandal in Adilabad district on Saturday took out a silent protest march at the mandal headquarters demanding lifting of prohibitory orders in the Agency areas and removing of Lambada tribe from the list of Scheduled Tribes.

The march was led by women who along with other protesters had symbolically tied their mouths with a black piece of cloth.

Led by women

Some 4,000 Raj Gonds and Pardhans assembled at the Indervelli Martyrs Column in the morning before starting the march. There were about 300 women, who had come from all villages in the mandal, at the head of the rally.

The rallyists reached the Tahsildar office where they submitted a memorandum with their demands. Their contention was that imposing prohibitory orders was in contravention with the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act.

Resignations

Meanwhile, the Adivasis of Narsapur (B) village in Utnoor mandal sent away the tailors who had come to stitch uniforms of students of the local Tribal Welfare school. The Adivasis were protesting the contract for the uniform stitching being given to a Lambada despite the village having Adivasi tailors.

In another development, seven ward Adivasi members from Rasimetta gram panchayat in Jainoor mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district including upa sarpanch Purka Sadguna and the local Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency member Athram Jangubai submitted their resignations protesting the injustices caused to aboriginal tribes by migrant Lambadas. They demanded removal of Lambada tribe from the list of STs.