Bengal needs a Special Intensive Revision – this demand arose repeatedly in the state’s Jangal Mahal district on Tuesday, November 18, where around 10,000 Adivasis had gathered for a rally in Bankura town. But the SIR they were demanding was not of the electoral rolls, but especially to verify the Schedule Tribe certificates given out by the state government over the last over one decade.
The rally, attended by members of the Santhal, Bhumij, Kora and Munda tribes, held at the Bankura Sammilani College, gathered on the call of the Adivasi Kalyan Samiti (AKS) for the Jangal Mahal region. According to the AKS, there has been widespread corruption in handing out tribal status certificates in the state for 12 years, in the four tribal-dominated districts, Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur and beyond.
As a result, the tribal body says, many non-tribals have acquired Schedule Tribe status, which has let them secure admissions in educational institutions and jobs, including in the coveted medical and engineering fields. This has deprived the eligible tribal people of their constitutional right to access both jobs and education.
21/11/2025