How urbanisation – and Hinduisation – is stripping India’s indigenous communities of their cultural heritage

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How urbanisation – and Hinduisation – is stripping India’s indigenous communities of their cultural heritage

In the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra state, in western India, villagers from the Gond Adivasi (or indigenous) tribe have been protesting since September 2023. Six mines are set to be built on ancestral Gondi lands. These lands are protected under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. And yet, the protesters have faced harsh treatment from the police. If the mines do go ahead, as many as 50,000 people could be forced from their homes. Over the pas…