Ever since the demolition of the huts of tribal people came to focus a fortnight ago, the villagers are upset that their village is being defamed and unwarrantedly criticised in the media.
The villagers said that they did not damage the huts of the tribal people as alleged by a Taleigao based activist who has filed a complaint before the Goa Human Rights Commission against the demolition of the huts allegedly by Nirankal villagers. They opined that the activist should have ascertained the facts by visiting the village, before filing his complaint.
Fearing that the habits and practices of the Vanarmare tribe would have an adverse impact on them, Nirankal villagers want the people belonging to that tribe out of the village. The Ponda police have no record of any serious crime committed by the Vanarmare tribe, though.
However, when specifies are filtered form the generalities, it is apparent that the villagers want the Vanarmare tribe evicted from Nirankal not out of any valid reason, but out of prejudice.
Meanwhile, the villagers, who had been vocal in demanding the eviction of the Vanarmare tribe out of Nirankal, have become circumspect after the media took up their cause — even resolutions had been passed in the gram sabha to this effect.
And ever since the issue became sensitive, the villagers avoid speaking about the same fearing that they might be dragged into court. As such efforts to speak to as many villagers as possible, to elicit the reason for their opposition to the Vanarmare tribe residing in Nirankal, weren’t successful. However, some spoke on condition of anonymity.
Amitha (name changed), a villager, complained that Vanarmare girls aged 14-15 years bear children and that such culture might have an adverse impact on the village teenagers. “The Vanarmare boys studying along with our girls, due to their primitive culture, could molest them,” she feared.
Besides, she said, “the local women working in bagayats and cashew plantations fear movement of tribal men there. We females fear their movement in our cashew plantations and bagayats.”
Amitha said that five persons have been employing the Vanarmare men in their plantations by paying cheaper wages and that they were the ones who want to keep the tribals in the village for their personal gain.
Ashwin (name changed), another villager, accused the Vanarmare people of committing petty thefts in bagayats. “However, the villagers are being needlessly smeared on Facebook and WhatsAapp,” he regretted.
Ashwin challenged the five villagers who want to keep the Vanarmare people in Nirankal to resettle them on their own land if they really cared for them.
“We have passed two resolutions in the gram sabha to evict the Vanarmare people in Nirankal and if we wanted to demolish their huts, we would have done so, long back. We will not hurt them physically, but government should shift them from village,” he added.
