'Illegal Land, Illegal People'

Landless dalits and adivasis have occupied parts of a corporate rubber plantation at Chengara in Kerala for fi ve years. Despite being pressurised in various ways, they have held out, sticking to their demand of land for them to pursue livelihoods. None of the agreements so far reached with the state government has been satisfactorily implemented. Yet, the issues raised by the Chengara struggle have a social and economic signifi cance that no government can afford to ignore.