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In the wake of growing disenchantment among the Tribals and alarmed by the Patthalgadi movement for securing tribal rights, especially those granted by PESA, the Chhattisgarh government has asked for Gram Sabhas to be held in keeping with the provisions of PESA. Has the government bowed to the Tribals’ demand or has it just handed a lollipop to them with an eye on the approaching elections?

In this Adivasi-majority state, the battles over control of water, jungle and land between the government machinery favouring the mining companies and the Adivasis continue. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of false cases being filed against the Adivasis

In Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, the police have filed a case against those insulting Adivasis in the name of Durga Puja. This is a historic moment and we will see its effect in the days to come. The masses that have been enduring cultural slavery so far will now have the courage to break free of those shackles

Asurs, Gonds and many other tribal communities describe themselves as descendants of Mahishasur. For them, Mahishasur is a hero who helps them tide over difficult times

Guru Ghasidas was born in an era when evils like casteism, untouchability, religious fanaticism and conservatism thrived in Hindu society. Humans were treated worse than animals. Brahmanism was the order of the day. Through his Satnam Panth, Guru Ghasidas hit out at caste-based atrocities, untouchability and the varna system

In Chhattisgarh, the police have been reduced to a security force that is at the upper-caste outfits’ beck and call. With their cultural dominance under threat, the likes of Sarva Hindu Samaj, Sarvadaliya Manch and Dharmasena – all the various local avatars of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad – decide who should be arrested and sent to jail

The Mahishasur cultural movement has provided a fillip to the battle for water, forests and land in Chhattisgarh

Satish Verma finds out how an increasing number of Bahujans throughout the country are reclaiming their culture

An FIR was lodged against Manish Kunjam for circulating an Adivasi account of the Durga-Mahishasur conflict that upper-caste migrants say hurts their religious sentiments

The FIR against CPI leader Manish Kunjam for allegedly insulting goddess Durga may boomerang on the Manuvadis, reports Sanjeev Chandan