Following the protest demonstration for tribal rights held on Hul Diwas on 30 June at Villupuram, AIPF-Tamil Nadu organized one day hunger strike at the Tamil Nadu state headquarters in Chennai on 7 August demanding Tamil Nadu government’s immediate intervention for the release of more than 2000 Tamil tribals languishing in Andhra Pradesh jails on false cases. Even though the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes advised that the AP Government must release the innocents including Tamil tribal who have been languishing in the Andhra jails since 2010, so far it has not been implemented. To avoid the migration of Tamil tribal workers in search of jobs to Andhra- Tirupati forests, that has become a killing field, AIPF demanded the speedy implementation of NCST’s 24 April recommendations, ensuring the land rights & livelihood of Tamil tribal people and implementation of Forest Rights Act-2006 in Tamil Nadu.
More than 200 participated in the programme including 150 people from the tribal communities,-majority of whom were women. Close relatives of the jailed workers travelled all the way from far off, hilly and ill connected villages from Villupuram, Salem, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai districts to join the one day hunger strike of AIPF.
Com. Jawahar, state President, AICCTU, presided over the program while CPI (ML) Chennai district secretary, Com. Shekar inaugurated the programme. Main speakers were included Com. S. Kumarasami, PB member-CPI (ML), Dr. Suresh, Gen. Secretary, PUCL, Com. A. Marx, campaign committee member, AIPF, Sujatha Modi, National Secretary. NTUI, R. Sampath, Vice President, WPTUC, Lawyer. Muthusami, T.N. Scheduled Tribe Malayalee Peravai, Com. Venkatesan State Gen. Secretary, AIARLA, Com. Gajendran RYA State committe member, Com. Arivalagan, AIPF, Athiyaman of Democratic Lawyers Association. Com. Balasundaram, State secretary CPI (ML) gave the concluding speech. Three tribal women speakers narrated their pathetic conditions of life in the hills as the breadwinners of the family were locked in Andhra jails. As a mark of solidarity, Unorganized Workers Confederation leaders, comrades Jayalskshmi and Chandrika also participated. Many speakers appreciated AIPF’s initiative on this grave issue that other political parties had failed to address. They also extended their solidarity.