Chhattisgarh

• 15 Apr 2024

Muria Tribe

Why in News?

According to the reports, Muria tribes fled Dandakaranya region in Chhattisgarh during the conflict between left wing extremists and State-sponsored Salwa Judum, and settled in the reserve forests of Andhra Pradesh.

• However, their access to primary education, safe drinking water, and social welfare benefits remains a dream, and now, they are at risk of displacement.

Key Points

• The settlement lies within ‘India’s Red Corridor’ on the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border hit by Naxalism, and stands as an oasis within a reserved forest, protected by stringent laws prohibiting settlement and deforestation.
  • They fled from the districts of Sukma, Dantewada, and Bijapur in Dandakaranya region of Chhattisgarh, settled in the erstwhile East and West Godavari districts.
• The Muria settlements are known as habitations of Internally Displaced People (IDPs), whose population is around 6,600 in AP, and the Murias here are referred to as ‘Gutti Koyas’ by the native tribes.
• According to a survey done by a group of Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), there are 1,621 Muria households in the State.

Salwa Judum

• It is a group of tribal persons mobilized for resistance against outlawed armed naxalites.The group was reportedly backed by government machinery in Chhattisgarh.
• In 2011, Supreme Court of India ruled against arming civilians in this manner banned Salwa-Judum and directed Chhattisgarh government to disband any militia force founded to combat Maoist guerrillas.

Muria Tribe

• The Muria are an indigenous Adivasi, scheduled tribe Dravidian community of the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, India. They are part of the Gondi people.
• They speak Koya, which is a Dravidian language.
• They have progressive perspective towards marriage and life as a whole. The biggest example being the Ghotul (a commune or dormitory), which is meant to create an environment for Muria youth to understand their sexuality.

Internally Displaced People (IDPs)

• IDPs are persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized border.