ICC Note:

Church leaders in India have become involved in a dispute between the government and indigenous groups. Government officials want to use re-zone tribal land for non-agricultural uses but indigenous leaders see it as a violation of their rights. Church leaders believe that the campaign will hurt the indigenous people.

3/14/2017 India (Reuters) Church leaders in eastern India are backing a campaign to overturn recent amendments to decades-old land laws, saying the changes will hurt indigenous communities and lead to privatization of protected territory.

Lawmakers in eastern Jharkhand state in November approved changes to two colonial-era laws that would allow the state to buy tribal land to lease to investors for non-agricultural purposes.

Indigenous people have protested, saying the laws will infringe on their rights.

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