NAINITAL: A thin tarpaulin sheet for a roof, a few blankets for cover and stacks of hay that are fodder for cattle and beds for them. For almost a month, 20 forest-dependent Van Gujjar families have been forced to live under the open skies after being banned from entering the Govind Wildlife Sanctuary citing the pandemic. On Tuesday, the Uttarakhand high court slammed the state government and the forest department for violating their human rights and ordered immediate steps to ensure their free movement.
“You cannot reduce humans to less than an animal existence… They are not animals. They are as much human beings as you and I are and they have the same fundamental rights and human rights,” Chief Justice RS Chauhan said.
It directed steps should be taken to allow their entry into Govind Pashu Vihar National Park to eke out a living if they test negative for COVID-19 and have the required legal documents with them.
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Uttarakhand, India – On a cloudy summer afternoon in the Shivalik forest, Jumman is sprawled on a charpoy, enjoying the monsoon breeze. His grandchildren have taken the cattle to graze in the forest, while his sons have moved up to the mountains near Uttarkashi, hoping to escape the heat.
Jumman had wished to accompany them on the seasonal migration, but his age no longer allows him to walk long distances. The 72-year-old is now settled in a mud hut, very close to Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand in northern India – in an area that covers close to 1,279 square miles of forest.