On 31 July 2025, a 58-year-old tribal man, P. Marimuthu of Mel Kurumalai hamlet in Tiruppur district, Tamil Nadu, was allegedly found dead in the toilet of the Udumalaipet forest range office under Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). He was interrogated on charges of possessing leopard teeth. The family members of the deceased alleged that Marimuthu […]

On 12 May 2025, the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) intervened under its “Early Warning” procedure for intervention with the Government of India against summary relocation/forceful eviction of about 89,800 tribal and forest dwelling families or about 450,000 persons from 54 tiger reserves in 18 states vide order dated 19 June 2024 of the […]

On 3rd October 2024, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds (NMEO-Oilseeds) to be implemented over a seven-year period from 2024-25 to 2030-31, with a financial outlay of Rs 10,103 crore to boost domestic oilseed production and achieve self-reliance  in edible oils. India […]

New Delhi, 29 August 2022: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an action taken report (ATR) from the Superintendent of Police, Sibsagar district regarding the custodial death of a Naga tribal identified as E Henveih Phom (35 years) due to alleged torture by police at Gelekey police station in Sivasagar district of Assam […]

New Delhi: Ahead of the meeting of the Group of Ministers headed by Shri Himanta Biswa Sharma, Hon’ble Finance Minister of Assam, to discuss the issue of granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities at 11 am on 8 October 2020, the Indigenous Lawyers Association of India (ILAI) called upon the Government of Assam […]

NEW DELHI, 30 JUNE 2020: The Indigenous Lawyers Association of India (ILAI) in its submission to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change today urged to withdraw the unconstitutional the Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification of 2020 which it described as an instrument to grab tribal lands and forests. The Ministry of Environment, […]

New Delhi, 17 June 2020: The Indigenous Lawyers Association of India (ILAI) has filed a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to ensure the fundamental right to education by ensuring inclusion of the underprivileged sections of society including tribals, dalits, forest dwellers and the poor in the online classes imparted by the schools […]

On the night of 9 August 2022, a tribal identified as Chain Singh was killed and three other tribals including Mahendra Singh and Bhagwan Singh sustained serious injuries after the forest officials opened indiscriminate fire at Khadyapura forest area in Vidisha district, Madhya Pradesh. On 9 August 2022 morning, all the victims had gone to […]

On 16 August 2022, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took cognizance of a complaint (Case No. 2015/1/21/2022) filed by Indigenous Lawyers Association of India (ILAI) regarding illegal sterilization surgeries conducted on about 600 tribal men and women including members of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in private hospitals in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh in June […]

On 10 August 2022, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notice to Superintendent of Police (SP), Nuapada district of Odisha calling for action taken report regarding the death of 6-year-old tribal girl student at Nehena Sevashram (ST/SC Residential School) hostel under Nuapada Tehsil in Nuapada district on 3 August 2022. The NHRC registered the […]

On 3rd October 2024, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds (NMEO-Oilseeds) to be implemented over a seven-year period from 2024-25 to 2030-31, with a financial outlay of Rs 10,103 crore to boost domestic oilseed production and achieve self-reliance  in edible oils. India […]

On 23 June 2024, five leading Kuki-Zo organisations from Manipur issued a joint statement against the Government of India’s decision to scrap the free movement regime (FMR) and fence the international border with Myanmar, urging people “to refuse to participate in any FMR-related activity”. The decision of the Government of India on 8th February 2023 […]

This first edition of “The Indigenous India“ covers the issues relating to indigenous peoples of India reported in July 2022. The critical issues covered are: the big question whether the appointment of an indigenous woman as President of India will change the fate of the tribals; legal and policy development; denial of tribal certificates; denial […]

ILAI contributed India chapter to “The Indigenous World” published by International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) as an unique collaborative effort between indigenous and non-indigenous activists and scholars who voluntarily document and report on the situation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. The 2022 yearly report documents and reports on the developments indigenous peoples have experienced […]

WRITTEN ON 06 APRIL 2020 Photo: Chris Erni // IWGIA Introduction Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared as a pandemic and its impact on the world is yet to be fully assessed. Indigenous peoples living on the margins of the society are unlikely to be considered in the scheme of responses and reactions by most of the States. […]