annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Karnataka
62,000 hectares as the temporary area of
the national park. It covered two state
forests and two reserve forests across 38
villages, five taluks and three zilas. In
2001, the state government issued the final
notification. While 57,628 hectre area was
declared as the national park, 3703
hectares of forestland was notified for the
purpose of mining. 25
In December 2004, the villagers of the
Mallandur Gram Panchayat from
Byaravalli, Avati, Beranagodu, Siragodu,
and other villages under the Masagali
Forest limits, claimed that out of 1297
acres of reserve land under the Masagali
forest limit, 867 acres are revenue land.
More than 200 families who have been
living in the Masagali forest limit for many
years and all possess valid documents to
prove that government had sanctioned
their lands. 26
On 28 December 2004, District
Progressive Tribal Association and several
other tribal welfare organisations took out
a procession in Mysore demanding
implementation of welfare measures
directly by the state government instead of
the Zilla Panchayat and Taluk Panchayat,
constitution of a high-level investigation
from the Centre and the State governments
on the alleged misuse of reservation given
to tribals, undertaking training
programmes for the tribal youth, providing
of fair price shops in tribal areas and
Antyodaya (Below Poverty Line) cards for
tribal families and upgradation of Ashram
schools in tribal areas. 27
Those who were espousing the rights
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of the indigenous peoples have been facing
threats from the forest authorities. On 28
April 2004, a special panel of the Supreme
Court gave some reprieve to Kudremukh
Wildlife Foundation (KWF), an NGO
which was allegedly targeted by forest
officials for exposing a series of violations
of apex court orders pertaining to the
Kudremukh National Park. The Forest
Department had reportedly sent a list of 78
questions to the NGO, ranging from their
source of funding, registration details to
permission required to work within the
forest. Charges were later slapped under
the Wildlife Protection Act and the
Karnataka Forest Rules for trespassing
into the park in 2001. On 19 April 2004,
the Deputy Conservator of Forests Anita
Arekal reportedly issued summons to the
NGO. Three days later, the DCF raided the
premises of Niren Jain, a KWF member,
and seized computers, diaries and
documents. The Supreme Court panel has
decided to set up an independent inquiry
and stayed the summons against the KWF
issued by the Forest Department till the
probe report was filed. 28
V. Prisons and prisoners
Besides deaths of undertrials, torture
of prisoners, unhygienic cells, substandard
food and lack of medical facilities
were common in the prisons.
On the night of 2 July 2004, an
undertrial named Hanumanthraya
Madivalappa Biradara of Aski village in
Sindagi taluk allegedly committed suicide
by hanging inside the Bijapur prison. 29