Over 500 Manki Munda (traditional tribal village heads) from different villages of Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum district undertook a 120km march for four days to protest against the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023.

The Manki Munda Adhikar Padayatra, which had the tribal heads dressed in their traditional attire, began on Sunday from the Baharagora block which borders Odisha and Bengal and reached Jamshedpur on Wednesday.

“We want the central government to repeal the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act 2023 which was passed hastily in Parliament without any discussion and debate.

“It will have far-reaching consequences for the forest dwellers in tribal belts across the country,” said central committee member of Manki Munda Adhikar Manch, Santosh Tirkey.

The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, was passed after a brief debate in Rajya Sabha even as the Opposition had walked out protesting against the violence in Manipur in August this year after it was passed in Lok Sabha in July.

Several state governments including Jharkhand and civil societies have expressed reservations about the bill, saying it contravenes the Supreme Court’s 1996 judgment on preventing deforestation.

The Forest (Conservation) Act, of 1980, was a crucial central statute for the conservation of forests in the country.

It provides de-reservation of reserved forests, use of forest land for non-forest purposes, assigning forest land by way of lease or otherwise to a private entity, and clearing of naturally grown trees for reafforestation requires prior permission of the central government.

The Manki Mundas submitted their memorandum at the East Singhbhum deputy commissioner’s office.

“We also plan to host a similar padayatra to Ranchi and stage a dharna in front of Raj Bhawan and submit a memorandum through the governor to the President in support of our demand,” added Tirkey.

The other demands of the traditional tribal heads include giving first state language status to tribal languages such as Ho, Mundari, Kurukh and Santhali, and the inclusion of these languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

“We also want vacant posts of teachers in tribal subjects such as Mundari, Bhumij, Kurukh and Santhali in Kolhan University and other colleges to be filled without any delay and also a language academy for tribal languages at the earliest in the state,” said Santosh Tirkey.

They also demanded that a suitable honorarium should be given to Manki Munda, Dakua, Ghatwal, Sardar, Nayke, Diwari, Pahan and Laya of East Singhbhum.