Massacre of the innocents
The Island Lieutenant Governor N N Jha is emphatic that the
"...policy is not to integrate them or rehabilitate them."
But how much of it has been or is being followed is clear from
the continuing confusion vis-à-vis the aboriginals.
That they do not matter in the scheme of things is also evident
from the response you get from the Islands' Member of Parliament
Bishnu Pada Ray.
He is fighting vigorously to protect the interests of the
local settlers. "In 1954, administration settled people
around Jarawa areas. How can you throw them out? … There
are 4,000 families in the jungles. They are not interested
in jungle resources … they use the houses as shelters.They
have no other interest."
Obviously, the Jarawas can't make any difference to his electoral
prospects, whereas the settlers can. And, the administration
can't afford to ignore the MP's interests.
 Court
intercedes
It is only after the courts intervened at the behest of some
NGOs that the administration seems to have become careful
about its moves. Tribal Welfare Director S A Awaradi says
the administration's policy has always been to protect the
aboriginals, with the thrust on their physical survival.
"Till the court takes a view and directs us, we have
decided to adopt a policy of assistance towards the Jarawas.
We will respond if they need us, medically or otherwise, to
protect them against unscrupulous people," he adds.
While all this happened, the administration quietly worked
at "reaching out" to the Sentinalese - the only
tribe which has no "regular contact" with the settlers.
They inhabit the north Sentinalese Island.
The first contact with the Sentinalese was established in
1981 by a team involving Bakhtawar Singh. "We threw coconuts
and bananas towards them but they hurled back the bananas
at us. They even shot an arrow at my officer. He escaped with
minor injuries,' he recalls. Since then, the administration
decided to leave them alone but protect them against external
aggression.
But the efforts to "reach out to the Sentinalese"
again started in 1991. Mr Awaradi says, "the 1991 visit
was the first friendly visit to these aboriginals. For the
first time, they waded through the water and came towards
us without bows and arrows."
The administration sent more such expeditions to the Sentinalese
Island. "Some two-three years ago, it was decided tacitly
to not pursue the Sentinalese. We have no friendly contact
with them. We sometimes go to their Islands but merely to
check on them," says the Tribal Welfare director.
While the Tribal Director tries to press home his point,
news is emerging that Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram is
working on a seven-year plan to
rein in the aboriginals and make them part of the "civilized
mainstream".
«
back
|
Primitive
tribals of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are dying of disease and
infection brought by waves of colonizers from the mainlands. In a
five-part series, Shailesh Shekhar, the editor
of HindustanTimes.com, brings out grim stories of the
tribals pushed to accept a destiny that has been put beyond their
control.