Country: Bihar, India

Group: Bhumij

Date: October 13, 2023

Team: Rebekah Dilks (Lead), Ash Pessaran, Madison Schultz, Teagen Allen, Jhanz Marco Garcia

Content Warnings: Exploitation

Approximate Time Period: 1760’s, 1950 – Current

The Bhumij live in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, and Bihar, with a small population (3,000) living in Bangladesh. They are classified as Scheduled Tribes in Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, Other Backward Classes in Assam and Tripura, and Scheduled Castes in Bihar (Wikimedia Foundation, 2023). The Bhumij first experienced displacement during British colonial rule. However, currently their land is sought after by the Indian government for the natural resources (Areeparampil, M., 1996 & Subaltern, Forgotten).

There is clear evidence of forced displacement due to the allocation of land for mining operations. Between 1981-1985, resource extraction displaced 32,750 families. Mining is exploiting the land and the people, polluting the water and making the area uninhabitable (Banerjee, P., 2006). The Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) has taken over 5 villages from the creation of Uranium mines and mills (Areeparampil, M., 1996).The Piparwar Coal Project (started in 1990) displaced 460 people in 2 villages and affected 15,000 people from 14 villages and 2 Hamlets (Banerjee, P., 2006). Currently, sand mining is exploiting the rivers, an essential element for construction, and harming the ecosystem (Alam, Waris, M., & Kumar, M., 2022).

India is an emerging economy, financial motivation of the Indian government is fueling displacement. The land is sacred according to Bhumij beliefs, and minimal efforts exist to rehabilitate the individuals displaced. Furthermore, it is leaving the community impoverished. Dr. Saxena, a member of the National Advisory Committee and former bureaucrat of the Indian government reports that resource extraction displaced nearly 50 million people, over 40% being tribal, since 1950. Development projects such as: large irrigation dams, hydroelectric projects, open-cast and underground coal mines, super thermal power plants, and mineral-based industrial units displace the community (Malkhandi, M., 2018).

Data Quality: 3/3 There is substantial evidence supporting forced away due to resource extraction. There is significant coverage supporting these claims in scholarly articles and various international sources.

Sources

  1. Alam, Waris, M., & Kumar, M. (2022). Sand Mining and its Effect, Causes of Concern for Zooplankton: A Case Study from Kishanganj, Bihar, India. Journal of Ecophysiology & Occupational Health, 155–161. https://doi.org/10.18311/jeoh/2022/29818
  2.  Areeparampil, Mathew. (1996). Displacement Due to Mining in Jharkhand. Economic and Political Weekly, 31(24), 1524–1528. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4404276
  3. Bhengara, Ratnakar (1996). Coal Mining Displacement. Economic and Political Weekly, 31(11), 647–649. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4403906
  4. Malkhandi, M. (2018). Displacement and Socio-Economic Plight of Tribal Population in Jharkhand with Special Reference to Jharia Coal Belt. International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanity (IRJMSH), 9(2), 96-105.
  5. Subaltern, forgotten: How mainstream narratives neglected the Bhumij, among the first to revolt against the British. Down To Earth. (n.d.). https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/governance/subaltern-forgotten-how-mainstream-narratives-neglected-the-bhumij-among-the-first-to-revolt-against-the-british-88196  
  6. Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, October 2). Bhumij people. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhumij_people