Arti is our CC from Damoh in Madhya Pradesh. Poor socio-economic conditions forced her to work as a manual scavenger at a very young age. Her years of experience have given her a strong understanding of social exclusion issues. She feels strongly about discrimination faced by women in her community and wants to start her journey as a video campaigner…

Arti Bai Valmiki

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The recently concluded Padma Shri awards honoured some of the most unknown people in India. Tulasi Gowda, an elderly tribal woman from Karnataka who has worked for nature conservation for 60+ years was one among several people awarded at the ceremony. It is heartening to see many deserving Indians including tribals getting their due after a long wait.

However, on the other hand, tribals from Damoh in Madhya Pradesh, who have inhabited the land for generations, are being forcefully evicted by the forest department. The family featured in this video was living on the land for a minimum of 30 years. Their forefathers have been forest dwellers for generations. Yet they were forcefully removed from their land almost overnight.

This is just one instance recorded by our Community Correspondent Arti Bai Valmiki. In total, there are 54 such families from three villages in Damoh district who have been forcefully evicted in the last three months.