Indian civil society demands release of Adivasi rights defender Raghu Midiyami
Adivasi activist completes one year in jail under UAPA in Chhattisgarh
New Delhi: Civil society groups in Delhi have demanded the release of Adivasi human rights defender Raghu Midiyami as he completes one year of incarceration under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Midiyami, 25, is based in Bastar and had been raising his voice against extrajudicial killings, corporatisation, illegal tribal land grabs, and displacement in the region. He was also the president of the now-banned Moolwasi Bacchao Manch. He was arrested on 27 February 2025 by the dreaded National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Dantewada while he was recovering from serious injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
Midiyami had gone to a hospital in Dantewada for treatment when NIA officials took him into custody. “Instead of ensuring medical care, the authorities chose to incarcerate him,” a joint statement issued by civil society groups said. Reports said that Midiyami’s foot injury worsened in jail after his arrest due to medical negligence.
“Over the past year, the state has not only pursued the NIA case but has also reportedly slapped six additional cases under the UAPA against him. The piling up of multiple UAPA cases appears to be a deliberate strategy to prolong his imprisonment and deny him bail. The clear intention is to keep him behind bars to ensure that there is no organized resistance to the corporate loot of natural resources in the Bastar region,” the statement added.
Civil society groups also raised concerns about his medical condition, stating: “We express deep concern over the continued denial of proper medical treatment to Raghu.”
Midiyami, along with many villagers and other community leaders, had also been demanding the implementation of PESA and the Fifth Schedule—both legal provisions that grant tribal communities autonomous powers in their regions.
