A fact-finding committee from the Adivasi Sangharsh Morcha (ASM) visited Kukuguda village in Gothalpadar Panchayat under Gunapur block in Odisha to investigate the destruction of tribal cashew plantations by the land mafia. The committee found that on 17 March 2025, more than 20 cashew trees—a crucial source of livelihood for the tribals—were uprooted using JCB machines. The attack has sparked outrage among the tribal communities, who are now preparing for mass resistance against the land grabbers. ASM leaders Tripathi Gamang and Raina Shabar Tibra condemned the attack, calling it an act of blatant aggression by Andhra Pradesh landlords against tribals in Odisha.
Kukuguda village, situated on the Andhra-Odisha border, is home to landless tribals who have been cultivating the land for generations. With no official land titles and no proper housing, the tribals are forced to sustain themselves by growing rice, cotton, and cashew crops. However, their very means of survival is now under threat.
According to the ASM fact-finding report released on 18 March 2025, a non-tribal individual from Andhra Pradesh has illegally occupied approximately 60 acres of tribal land with the help of government-sanctioned documents. This blatant act of land theft has pushed the tribals into further economic distress.
“The government has failed in its constitutional duty to protect the rights of Adivasis,” said Tripathi Gamang. “While corporate giants and feudal landlords are being handed vast tracts of land, tribals who have tilled and protected the land for centuries are being forcibly evicted.”
The ASM leaders have demanded that the Chief Minister of Odisha immediately revoke the illegal land registration and enforce a complete ban on the sale of tribal lands. They have also called for land redistribution in favour of tribals, in accordance with constitutional provisions.
"If the government does not act, we will launch a large-scale tribal agitation," the fact-finding committee declared.
