As the world celebrates #WorldIndigenousDay, in recognition of their role as bearers of crucial knowledge systems and cultural traditions, here are 7 conflicts from the @LandConflicts database on the journey of India’s indigenous communities to protect “jal,” “jungle” and “zameen.”

After 30 years of protest, tribal communities in Jharkhand prevailed when the state government cancelled the extension of the Netarhat Firing Range in Aug 2022. They had opposed the creation of a land bank of 80 acres meant to attract investors. Majority of the land was in Schedule V districts. https://landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/tribals-protest-against-the-creation-of-land-bank-for-industries-in-the-proposed-netarhat-firing-range

To protect their land, in 2016, Bodos in Assam's Rowmari village opposed Patanjali's Yoga Institute in the Bodoland Territorial Region. They argued that it was an illegal land grab in a Schedule VI area, where non-tribals from outside the region have no right to purchase land.
https://landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/bodoland-rocked-by-land-allotment-to-patanjali-ayurved

In Chhattisgarh's Hasdeo, tribal communities held waves of protests between 2011-19 against mining activities in the forest. Communities that have been dependent on Hasdeo Arand for generations, pointed out how mines cause irreversible damage to the ecology and biodiversity of the forest.
https://landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/government-approves-coal-mining-in-biodiversity-rich-hasdeo-arand-forest-in-chhattisgarh

The conflict on Gujarat’s Narmada river interlinking project shows how tribal communities end up paying the price for ambitious projects that keep changing goalposts. Since 2017, communities in Dharmapur and Valsad have been fighting for their right over land, which was allotted to them.
https://landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/tribals-oppose-par-tapi-narmada-link-in-gujarat

In Maharashtra's Dhule, tribals have been at the forefront of thwarting any attempts of land grab. When a de-addiction centre constructed a boundary wall around the Malaichapada village in 2020, tribals took to streets and got the illegal project halted.
https://landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/tribals-protest-government-land-s-transfer-to-de-addiction-center-in-maharashtra-s-dhule

Having witnessed the drastic impact of mining in forests on their water sources and agriculture, Gond tribespeople in Chhattisgarh have been protesting against the expansion of an iron-ore mine in the biodiversity-rich Bailadila range, since 2014.

In Odisha, tribal communities’ battle against the environment clearance to a Vedanta mine in Niyamgiri demonstrates how some industries use dubious methods for clearances. The Dongria Kondh tribe’s hard-fought victory in 2013 shows their persistence in protecting forest land.
https://landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/tribals-in-niyamgiri-protest-against-bauxite-mining-by-vedanta-limited

Many other land conflicts affect indigenous communities across India. Check out the rest of the conflicts in our database here.

https://www.landconflictwatch.org/all-conflicts