Why in News
Minjali Sikaka from the Dongria Kondh tribe in the secluded village of Lakhpadar, nestled within Odisha’s Niyamgiri hill range was purportedly persuaded into surrendering as an active cadre of the banned CPI (Maoist), with the promise of being paid ₹2 lakh under the government’s surrender-cum-rehabilitation scheme for Naxalites, in the presence of Rayagada Superintendent of Police and fellow Dongria Kondh members.
But she was not ready for this as it would have labelled her as Maoist and tainted her family name.
Why in News
Seven other villagers have faced such charges of alleged ties with the outlawed CPI (Maoist) over the past 15 to 20 years
History
In the early 2000s, the Odisha Mining Corporation proposed bauxite mining in Niyamgiri, a rich biodiversity forested region, to supply Vedanta group’s alumina refinery at Lanjigarh.
The Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling mandated that mining clearance required consent from gram sabhas, including Dongria representatives, paving the way for what could be India’s first environmental referendum.
The Dongria Kondhs overwhelmingly rejected the proposal.
The Dongria tribes had never encountered cases related to the CPI (Maoist) until they opposed the bauxite mining plan in Niyamgiri hills
Dongria Kondhs Tribes
Dongria Kondh people are members of the Kondhs
The Khonds are the largest tribal group in the state of Odisha.
They are located in the Niyamgiri hills.
Niyamgiri is a hill range spread over 250 sq.km which falls under the Rayagada and Kalahandi District in Odisha
The Dongria Kondh derive their name from dongar, meaning ‘hill’, and the name for themselves is Jharnia – "protector of streams"
Dongria Kondhs Tribes
The people of Niyamgiri use Kui language.
Kui is written using Odia script
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