Ranchis of Andaman Island demand tribal rights

As part of an 89-year long struggle, more than 3000 members of the Ranchi community in Andaman and Nicobar Islands gathered in Port Blair for a mass rally and Mahasammelan (Mega Convention) to demand recognition of their tribal identity as well as rights to education, health and other basic services they are currently denied.

Ranchis from far flung areas in the Andaman Islands joined a mass rally with slogans such as Adivasi ekta zindabad (long live tribal unity).

They also celebrated 132^nd birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda, a source of inspiration for tribal struggles across India.

Tracing the past

There are over 65,000 Ranchis, accounting for over 13% of the population of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.

Ranchis largely comprise the tribes – Oraon, Munda, Kharia, Mahli, Tursi and Ghasi – from Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

But tribal activists say the community has largely been ignored by the administration.

“We have been forgotten since we gave our labour to develop the island,” says Sylvester Bhengra of Ranchi Association

While these communities are recognised as Scheduled Tribes in their regions of origin, in Andaman and Nicobar islands they are seen simply as a homogenous group of ‘migrants, explains Bhengra.

Introduced in 1918 under the British government’s island development scheme, ‘Ranchis’ continued to be brought to the islands after India’s independence as labourers to clear jungle areas for settlements.

Evicted from the forests in 2002 following a Supreme Court ruling, Ranchis now own no land and rely on irregular labour jobs for survival.

Why are we deprived?

While, the Scheduled Tribes have ‘fixed quota’ benefits for education, employment and other social security guaranteed under the Indian Constitution. In the absence of tribal status and living in remote inaccessible areas, the Ranchis remain outside the fold.

Mangal Kujur of Diglipur village one of the participants, spoke of the problems of his community:

“The schools are located far off and our children have to walk for hours, we don’t have electricity or proper roads and worse still is the lack of drinking water – we have to drink water from nallah (drain).”

“The poor amongst the Ranchis have not even been included in the BPL (below poverty line) list, nor can they avail the PDS (public distribution system) schemes.”

“Why does the administration deny us any attention?” he asks.

Government neglect is dividing the island communities.

Settlers vs Migrants

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a high concentration of tribal groups living in the forest covered areas which make up 87% of the island.

The Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese, Shompen and Nicobarese people are seen as the ‘settlers’ of the archipelago. They are recognized as indigenous tribes and have been receiving benefits under various government’s schemes while the ‘migrants’ on the other hand face a double edged sword.

“Locals see us as outsiders and government refuses to recognise us as distinctive and vulnerable groups. So we receive no support,” said Carolina Lakra a participant who traveled from a small village in Middle Andaman to attend the convention.

With labour work increasingly insecure, health and education of the community also suffers.

“Whatever minimum education or health facilities are available, they are in the ‘settlers’ area,” Carolina adds.

United we stand

The Mahasammelan, first time Ranchis have come together in such large numbers, is another step towards overcoming their marginalisation.

“Mobilising the Ranchi community on such a large scale is an attempt to build alliances with tribal groups across India. This will strengthen the Ranchi struggle for livelihoods, identity and other rights they have been denied for so long,” says Anupama Muhuri of ActionAid. ActionAid has been providing livelihood support to the Ranchis since February 2005.

Eminent tribal rights activist Sanjay Basu Mallick concluded with rallying words:

“It is a sustained effort that becomes a beacon for change. Any form of denial needs to be confronted and a collective voice must create a pressure for reversal.