The latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals a disturbing trend: Registered cases of atrocities against the Scheduled Tribes in 2023 increased by 28.8 per cent in comparison to the previous year. Part of this steep jump in numbers can be attributed to the conflict in Manipur that began in May 2023 — the state registered only one case of violence against STs in 2022, whereas in 2023, it reported 3,399 cases. But the performance of states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, with the second and third highest reported cases of atrocities against STs respectively, is also cause for concern. (In 2022, Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of crimes against STs, followed by Rajasthan.) While the rise in numbers can also be traced to a higher level of awareness and reportage, the figures are still disconcerting. Governments must address the problem through ground-level interventions. A more inclusive politics and policy is urgently needed.
In the last couple of years especially, the Centre has undertaken several initiatives for tribal outreach — like the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA). At the same time, however, atrocities against STs continue, and all too often, show an increase. In Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP has been in power for more than two decades, and where STs account for 21.1 per cent of the total population according to the 2011 Census, cases of grievous crimes against STs continue to be reported. Most recently, in July, four tribal youths were allegedly picked up and beaten by police on suspicion of theft, and in May, two men were allegedly beaten to death on suspicion of cow slaughter. Earlier, in July 2023, months before the assembly elections, a video of a man urinating on a member of a tribal community from Sidhi district went viral on social media and became an electoral issue — then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan invited him to the CM’s official residence and washed his feet. Photo-ops may help in papering over the problem in the short term, but to dispel an embedded and entrenched social bias against tribal communities, there is no alternative to sustained social awareness and sensitisation programmes.
