Tripura
,
Panisagar
,
North Tripura
Published :
Jun 2024
|
Updated :
Tripura families spend nights in Pekucherra forest to draw government's attention to plight of being landless
Reported by
Emilo Yanthan
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
40
Households affected
192
People affected
2024
Year started
Land area affected
40
Households affected
192
People Affected
2024
Year started
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Land Use
Reason/Cause of conflict
Encroachment by Non-Right Holders (Other than Caste-based)
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
Sector
Land Use
Reason/Cause of conflict
Encroachment by Non-Right Holders (Other than Caste-based)
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

Around 40 families from the North Tripura district have been spending their nights in the Pekuacherra forests under the Panisagar subdivision in an attempt to draw the notice of the authorities towards their plight of landlessness.

The families have put up temporary improvised huts using tarpaulin sheets and bamboo and staying there hoping that the government would provide them with a permanent place to live. The primary motive behind this is to persuade the government to grant the people permanent land.

These families had previously built their homes on government lands, making them vulnerable to eviction. One of the affected person, Kartik Nama, is a PM Awas Yojana beneficiary, who had built the house only to be earmarked for the expansion of a police station and government projects.

Nama said, "We have come over here from the Jayashree area which falls under the jurisdiction of Dhanajay Para. We have been living in the Jayashree area for two generations now. Our house is located next to the police station. Recently, almost half of our land was occupied by the police station authorities. The other half is also allocated for other government construction works. If this situation persists, we won't have even an inch of land to live on." He added that if the government gives him the right to live on the piece of land where his house was built, he would be the first person to leave this forest land.

Krishna Nath, another affected person said, “We moved here from Kanchanpur to escape ethnic tensions after the displaced Brus were settled near us. We had no legal ownership of our previous home.” Nath also added, “We have lived in multiple places, but conflict drove us away each time. We want the government to address our problems.”

Two CPI(M) MLAs visited the families in the forest and urged them to return home, emphasising that the law does not permit human settlements in reserved forest areas. MLA Shailendra Chandra Nath said, “We managed to convince several families, and five have returned home. We will bring their issues to the concerned authorities and raise their voices in the upcoming assembly session.”

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Manik Saha stressed on the importance of taking a humanitarian approach to the problem. He stated, "As per the Act, there is no provision of allowing people to live in the reserve forest areas. However, we shall look at the issue on humanitarian grounds."

The impacted families are still looking to the government for stability and protection. 

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for legal recognition of land rights

Demand for better access to common land/resources

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Forest

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Residential area

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

4
Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Administration of North Tripura, Government of Tripura

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

5
Information on the use of criminal law

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Legal Supporting Documents

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Author
Reported by
Emilo R. Yanthan

Emilo is pursuing her PhD in Political Science at the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. Her primary research areas include human and land rights and gender issues.

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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for legal recognition of land rights

Demand for better access to common land/resources

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Residential area

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

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