Bharat Aadivasi Party MP Rajkumar Roat said that Baiga tribals are sometimes killed in the name of Naxalites. Some are used as the cheapest means to impose pending cases of police stations and they spend half their life in jail.
A case of land mafia buying benami property worth crores in the name of poor and resourceless Baiga tribals in Hindauri district of Madhya Pradesh is in the headlines. According to a report of Dainik Bhaskar, land and mining mafia are buying and selling the valuable lands of tribals. In this connection, the case of buying more than 1200 acres of protected land of Baiga tribals in the name of four tribals in Pipariya Mal and Bachneli Sani villages in Bajag tehsil of Hindauri district is becoming famous. After the matter came to light, Bharat Adivasi Party MP from Rajasthan Rajkumar Roat has given voice to the pain of the Baiga tribe which is deprived of basic facilities. In a post on social media, Roat wrote, “These are the same Bega tribals who have been given the status of National Human. Two months ago in Madhya Pradesh, a person named Hiran Parte from the same Bega tribal group was shot dead by the police and falsely branded as a Naxalite. I myself met the victim’s family. Everyone knows that he did not even know the ABCD of Naxalite. Is Hiran Parte’s encounter also a big secret related to benami property? This is also a matter of investigation?
Bega tribals are sometimes killed in the name of Naxalites. Some are used as the cheapest means to impose pending cases of police stations and they spend half of their lives in jail. Some go missing, whose missing report is not even registered in the police station. Similarly, due to many reasons, the population of Bega tribals is decreasing day by day. Even today, they are not getting education, health facilities, houses, electricity and water. But they are owners of crores on paper. Will the Madhya Pradesh government take care of the Baiga tribals? Will it punish the exploitative bullies behind the face of those Baiga tribals? Or will you keep taking votes by licking the political chutney of religion? “
Gave the status of “Rashtriya Manav” in 2012
The Baiga tribe, which has been given the status of “Rashtriya Manav” of India since 9 August 2012, is one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) residing in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Despite its unique cultural heritage and official recognition, the Baiga community is facing systematic neglect, exploitation and lack of basic facilities like education, health, housing, electricity and water.
The Baiga tribe is mainly found in Mandla, Dindori and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh. This tribe is known for its rich cultural traditions, which are rooted in the Gondwana heritage. The word “Baiga” means “ojha” or “shaman”, which reflects their deep faith in herbal medicine and spiritual rituals. Their main occupation is shifting cultivation, hunting and gathering of forest products such as tubers. The Baiga worship deities such as Budha Dev, Dulha Dev and Bhavani Mata and regard the tiger as their younger brother, which reflects their harmonious relationship with nature.
The tribe comprises sub-groups such as Bijwar, Narotia, Bharotia, Nahar, Rai Bhaina and Kadh Bhaina, in which joint family system prevails, headed by a village headman “Mukaddam”. Cultural practices such as Dandariya (love based dance performed during Dussehra) and Paradhouni (folk dance performed on the occasion of marriage) are integral part of their identity. The Baiga also have unique marriage customs such as Lamjhena, Lamiya and Lamsena.
According to recent government data, the total population of Baigas in Chhattisgarh is 42,838, while they have a significant presence in Madhya Pradesh, where they are the third largest tribe. However, their population is constantly declining due to systematic neglect and exploitation. The Madhya Pradesh government has set up the Baiga Development Authority for their welfare, and projects worth ₹241.56 lakh have been implemented in Baiga dominated areas of Chhattisgarh such as Mungeli and Bilaspur. Additionally, the central government has allocated ₹614 lakh for Baiga welfare. Despite these efforts, the impact on the ground is limited, and health and population-related directives are often ignored by the local administration.
Despite their status as “national human”, the Baiga do not have access to education, health, housing, electricity and clean water. This systematic neglect hinders their socio-economic development and exacerbates poverty. Recent incidents, such as the killing of a Baiga tribal Hiran Parate in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly by the police, have highlighted the helplessness and suffering of this community. Parate was falsely labelled a Naxalite, raising questions about his possible links to extrajudicial killings and benami property disputes. Such incidents are not isolated, as Baiga individuals are implicated in false cases or go missing without account.
In his post, BAP MP Rajkumar Roat alleged that Baiga persons are often falsely accused of being Naxals, made scapegoats to solve pending police cases, or disappear without proper documentation. Roat questioned whether the Madhya Pradesh government will provide justice to the community by cracking down on the systematic exploitation of the Baiga by influential groups, or will continue to take political advantage of their plight.
Courtesy : Geetha Sunil Pillai, Hindi News