Why Adivasi Farmers Travelled 180 Km On Foot For Their Rights?
It’s Jirabai Lilke, who almost a decade back had spent an entire month in the jail along with other Advasis from her village. This happened post they got arrested for having a violent protest march at Nashik district, Maharashtra. This aboriginal tribe demanded all the rights to the land that’s applicable under the Forest Rights Act of 2006 and the forest inhabiting Scheduled Tribes.
We found Lilke seated at the grounds of Azad Maidan, in Maidan at a Monday morning after she had finished the biggest protest march in her entire life successfully, having as many as 30,000 farmers with her from north Maharashtra. Furthermore, the protestors had made it to the Somaiya grounds on a Sunday evening. They also decided to take a march at the state legislature on a Monday morning. However, to avert all trouble that might occur at the students who are appearing for their board exams, the protestors shifted their plans and had spent the night taking a final 20km march to the Azad Maidan.
Lilke, at 62 years old, had clearly voiced up her thoughts! She said that she’s here to make her demands on their forest land which the government made a promise to hand over to them, 20 years back. A resilient Lilke, asserted that they are not going to leave from Mumbai until government looks through this entire matter and says yes to all their demands.
Her exhaustion didn’t come in the way of her protests. She held on it! This made the Maharashtra government offer a written assurance on Monday evening that stated complete agreement to keep up to all the demands that the protesting farmers came up with. The agreement also comprised of an unconditional load waiver plan. Furthermore, the media was told by Fadnavis that his government had assured the aboriginals will get everything that they rightfully deserve.
