India: Information on the treatment of Adivasis by the government, particularly in the state of Bihar
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 October 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IND21356.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Information on the treatment of Adivasis by the government, particularly in the state of Bihar, 1 October 1995, IND21356.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac6650.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information specifically on Adivasis in the state of Bihar could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
The term "Adivasi" is the "preferred generic name of tribal peoples ..." (MRG International Dec. 1991, 5) and according to sources, is a Hindu word meaning "original inhabitants" (Los Angeles Times 25 Nov. 1994; The Cambridge Encyclopedia of India 1989, 43; MRG 1991, 286). According to The Economist, approximately 70 per cent of India's population consists of tribesmen, backward castes and Dalits (untouchables) (8 Oct. 1994, 34). World Directory of Minorities states that
Adivasis are not an homogenous group with over 200 tribes speaking over 100 languages, which vary greatly in ethnicity, culture and language ... There are over 50 million Adivasis constituting 7.5% of the Indian population ... (MRG 1991, 286).
According to World Directory of Minorities and The Cambridge Encyclopedia of India, Adivasis belong to the "Scheduled Tribes" (ST) (ibid.; 1989, 43), which, as a legal and constitutional term, varies from state to state (MRG 1991, 286). This Response will therefore include information and attachments that mention Adivasis; specific tribal peoples will not be discussed.
Please consult the following attachments for general information on tribal peoples: Area Handbook for India and The Economist of 8 October 1994. Country Reports 1994, available at Regional Documentation Centres, also provides information on these people.
For information on the Adivasis, please consult the Adivasi section of the attachments, specifically World Directory of Minorities and The Irish Times of 7 July 1993, for background information and history; New Statesman and Society of 8 October 1993, on land rights of Adivasis in Borivali National Park, north of Bombay; Los Angeles Times of 25 November 1994 and Deutsche Presse-Agentur of 24 November 1994, on a November 1994 Adivasi protest march in Nagpur, Maharashtra that resulted in bloodshed at the hands of police; The Ethnic NewsWatch of 2 December 1994, Reuters of 24 November 1994 and India Today of 15 December 1994, for information on the Nagpur protest march with specific reference to the Gowari tribe. For additional information on the Adivasis, please consult the attachments of Response to Information Request IND16955.E of 23 March 1994, which is available at Regional Documentation Centres.
For general information on reservations and quotas for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Castes (OBC), please consult the reservations/quotas section of the attachments.
The Bihar section of the attachments provides general background information on the state of Bihar, which may be of general interest.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. 1989. Edited by Francis Robinson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The Economist [London]. 8 October 1994. "India: The Hills are Ablaze."
Los Angeles Times. 25 November 1994. Home Edition. John-Thor Dahlburg. "Public Strike Follows Tragic India Stampede ..." (NEXIS)
Minority Rights Group (MRG). 1991. World Directory of Minorities. The High, Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK.
Minority Rights Group (MRG) International. December 1991. No. 92/1. The Adivasis of Bangladesh. Father R.W. Timm. London: Minority Rights Group.
Attachments
Adivasis/Tribals
Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 24 November 1994. BC Cycle. "Up to 125 People Killed in Mass Demonstration in India." (NEXIS)
The Economist [London]. 8 October 1994. "India: The Hills are Ablaze," p. 34.
The Ethnic NewsWatch [Stamford]. 2 December 1994. Vol. 24, No. 48. S. Bhonsle. "130 Killed in Nagpur Stampede." (NEXIS)
India Today [Delhi]. 15 December 1994. Vol. 19, No. 23. Smruti Koppikar. "Maharashtra: Trampled Dreams," pp. 52-53.
The Irish Times [Dublin]. 7 July 1993. City Edition. Ranjan Gupta. "The Adivasi Tribal People of Eastern India Have Seen Their Way of Life Destroyed." (NEXIS)
Los Angeles Times. 25 November 1994. Home Edition. John-Thor Dahlburg. "Public Strike Follows Tragic India Stampede ..." (NEXIS)
Minority Rights Group (MRG). 1991. World Directory of Minorities. The High, Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK, pp. 286-89.
New Statesman and Society. 8 October 1993. Jeremy Seabrook. "The Nature of Wealth; Land Rights of Tribal Peoples in India's Borivali National Park." (NEXIS)
Nyrop, Richard F. et al. 1975. Area Handbook for India. 3rd. ed. Washington, DC: Secretary of the Army, pp. 149-51.
Reuters. 24 November 1994a. BC Cycle. "At Least 111 Killed in Indian Stampede." (NEXIS)
_____. 24 November 1994b. BC Cycle. Savita Kirloskar. "Indian State Orders Probe as Stampede Toll Rises." (NEXIS)
Reservations/Quotas
The Hindu [Madras]. 10 June 1995. International Edition. Vol. 21, No. 23. "Promotion Quota: Statute Bill Approved," p. 12.
India Today [Delhi]. 15 November 1994a. Vol. 19, No. 21. Manoj Mitta. "Reservations: Racketeering in Quotas," pp. 36-38.
_____. 15 November 1994b. Vol. 19, No. 21. Dilip Awasthi. "Uttar Pradesh: Entry Through Rigging," pp. 38-40.
_____. 15 November 1994c. Vol. 19, No. 21. N.K. Singh. "Madhya Pradesh: Assault on Merit," pp. 40-41.
Bihar
India Today [Delhi]. 15 September 1995. Vol. 20, No. 17. Farzand Ahmed. "Bihar: Conflict Over Acres," pp. 60-61.
_____. 15 March 1995. Vol. 20, No. 5. Charu Lata Joshi. "Law and Order: Damning Dossier," pp. 50-51.
_____. 28 February 1995. Vol. 20, No. 4. Charu Lata Joshi. "Bihar: Going With the Wind," pp. 58-60.
_____. 15 September 1994. Vol. 19, No. 17. Farzand Ahmed and Amrit Dhillon. "Bihar: Loot, Bihari Style," pp. 48-51.
United Press International (UPI). 29 December 1994. BC Cycle. "Nine Low Caste Hindus Massacred in India." (NEXIS
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International Report 1995. 1995.
DIRB "Amnesty International: India" country file. January 1995 to present.
DIRB Indexed Media Review [Ottawa]. Weekly. September 1994 to present.
DIRB "India" country file. January 1995 to present.
Encyclopedia of the Third World. 1992.
The Europa World Year Book. Yearly. 1994.
The Hindu [Madras]. Weekly. March 1995 to present.
Human Rights Watch World Report 1995. 1994.
India: A Travel Survival Kit. June 1990.
India Today [Delhi]. Fortnightly. October 1994 to present.
International Services Group (ISG), Citizenship and Immigration [Hull]. Infrequent reports. 1994 to present.
Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. Monthly. January 1995 to present.
The Minority Rights Group Reports. Various dates. 1994 to present.
Office of Asylum Affairs (OAA), Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, United States. February 1995. India: Comments on Country Conditions and Asylum Claims.
Pacific Affairs [Vancouver]. Quarterly. Fall 1994 to present.
Political Handbook of the World 1994-1995. 1995.
Refugees, Immigration and Asylum Section (RIAS), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia. June 1994. Country Profile: India.
Revolutionary and Dissident Movements: An International Guide. 1991.
On-line search of media sources.
Oral sources.
