Raipur: In a landmark moment for one of India’s longest-running non-violent tribal movements, a bust of socialist leader Dr Ram Manohar Lohia will be unveiled on Saturday in Umradehan village, Nagri-Sihaba.
Veteran socialist leader Raghu Thakur, who has been associated with the movement since 1977, will unveil the bust.
Situated in the heart of Chhattisgarh’s forested Dhamtari district—an area often associated with Naxalite violence—Nagri-Sihaba stands apart as an “island of non-violence. Since 1952, generations of Adivasis (tribal communities) have waged a peaceful struggle for land rights and forest access, refusing to resort to violence even in the face of deep-rooted neglect and displacement.
Dr Lohia had visited the area in 1952 and became the first national leader to raise the issue of tribal land rights from this region. Inspired by his vision, the movement grew steadily, eventually gaining national attention. After he died in 1967, Raghu Thakur carried the torch forward, enduring arrests during the Emergency and spearheading numerous protests, marches, and hunger strikes to keep the cause alive.
In the early 1990s, a significant breakthrough was achieved when 13 of 18 villages involved in the movement received land deeds. However, five villages were left out, and it took another 25 years of persistent campaigning to secure land titles for them as well.
The bust being unveiled has deep symbolic value. It has been crafted using grain donations from hundreds of tribal households—a testament to the community’s collective effort and enduring faith in non-violent resistance.
Over the 70-years, the movement has also been supported by journalists, social workers, and political leaders across party lines, including George Fernandes, Sharad Yadav, and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Motilal Vora.
Nagri-Sihaba symbolises not just the land rights struggle but also the broader fight for education, healthcare, and the dignity of India’s tribal communities. It hosted India’s first Forest Village Conference and helped shape the Forest Rights Act.