Chenchu adivasis resist relocation amid coercion claims in Amrabad Tiger Reserve
HYDERABAD: A fact-finding team accused the Telangana government of forcibly displacing Chenchu Adivasi communities from the Srisailam Tiger Reserve (Amrabad Tiger Reserve) through coercion, intimidation, and fraudulent Gram Sabha resolutions, in clear violation of constitutional safeguards.
The six-member team, representing the Human Rights Forum and Dalit Bahujan Front, conducted an inquiry on May 3, 2026, into the ongoing expansion of the reserve. Their findings indicate a concerning pattern of harassment and deception.
In the first phase, authorities are targeting villages under Sarlapalli Gram Panchayat (including Kudichintalabayalu and Tatigundala Penta), Vatavarlapalli Panchayat, and Kollampenta for relocation approximately 100 kilometers away to plains areas such as Bacharam.
Conflicting narratives have emerged regarding the willingness of Adivasi families to move. Forest and revenue officials claim that Adivasis are volunteering in large numbers, but the fact-finding team reports the opposite.
“With the exception of a very few Adivasis who have already left their native villages to settle in urban areas, almost no Adivasis or tribal people are willing to abandon their ancestral villages,” said S. Tirupathaiah, State General Secretary of the Human Rights Forum.
The team documented misleading efforts to portray tribal consent. At a recent rally that officials organised to demonstrate willingness to relocate, only the husband of the Sarlapalli Sarpanch participated as a tribal member; all other attendees were non-tribal.
The Central Government classifies the Chenchu community as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). The Chenchus have coexisted with tigers for generations without conflict.
“The Chenchus possess traditional knowledge of tigers’ movement paths and behavioral habits. This knowledge serves as a protective shield,” said Shankar from DBF. He added that Adivasis revere tigers as embodiments of the Mother Goddess and have never harmed them.
The process of securing approval has also come under scrutiny. The team alleges that officials made inaccurate claims about Gram Sabha resolutions supporting relocation and used illicit methods, including manipulating resolutions and mobilising non-tribal individuals.
“No Gram Sabhas were ever convened,” the report asserts. Officials held the only meeting at Okkasaripalli village under a Divisional Forest Officer’s supervision, but the meeting lacked the required quorum and gathered signatures only from individuals favorable to the agenda.
For those who resist, repercussions have been severe. Meanwhile, officials systematically harass Adivasis who oppose relocation. Authorities have halted new welfare schemes, including the ‘Indiramma Housing’ programme. Officials deny permissions for women’s community halls and road construction, and intimidate or file false criminal charges against individuals raising public awareness.
The inquiry also exposed questionable practices in agreements with non-tribal residents. Officials require non-tribal residents willing to relocate to sign agreements written only in English, while offering verbal assurances of Rs 15 lakhs compensation, land allotments, and new houses. The team condemns this as relocation driven by inducement and coercion.
The team warns that these actions clearly violate constitutional safeguards for Adivasis under the Fifth Schedule, the PESA Act (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act), the Land Transfer Regulation (1/70) Act, and the Forest Rights Act.
To address these issues, the team outlined a series of urgent demands. The fact-finding team has issued five urgent demands: an immediate halt to the displacement of Adivasis for Tiger Reserve establishment or expansion, recognition only of duly constituted Gram Sabha resolutions with proper quorum, respecting Adivasi opposition to displacement, protection of rights in Fifth Schedule areas, with genuine implementation of PESA and Forest Rights Acts, and improved local education, healthcare, and transport, cessation of all forms of harassment against those unwilling to relocate, and legally valid agreements, not verbal promises, for those willing to leave their villages.
The team included Dr. S. Tirupathaiah (State General Secretary, Human Rights Forum), State Committee members Talla Rohit, Sanjeev, Sridhar, and Bharat, and P. Shankar (National Secretary, Dalit Bahujan Front).
