India currently has 1,092 active land conflicts affecting nearly 1.42 crore people and spanning 4.47 lakh hectares, according to a coalition of rights organisations. The group said it had documented close to 300 new cases over the past year involving land acquisition, evictions, demolitions, forest diversion and displacement.
Allegations of Diluted Safeguards
Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, a platform representing indigenous communities, farmers and ecological rights groups, said in a statement, “This is happening despite legal safeguards under the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, the Forest Rights Act (FRA), PESA, the Fifth and Sixth Schedules, social impact assessment provisions and gram sabha consent”, as quoted by news agency PTI. It alleged that these safeguards are routinely diluted, bypassed or reduced to mere formalities.
Corporate Land Accumulation
According to the coalition, land is increasingly being acquired for highways, airports, freight corridors, mining projects, industrial corridors and real estate ventures, enabling what it described as corporate land accumulation. The group characterised such projects as a transfer of land, forests, water bodies, coastal areas and working-class settlements from communities to corporate interests, rather than genuine development.
Forest Rights Act Implementation Concerns
The statement also flagged concerns over the implementation of the Forest Rights Act. As of May 2025, only about 25 lakh of the roughly 51 lakh FRA claims filed nationwide had been approved. Around 18.6 lakh claims were turned down, while 7.5 lakh remain undecided. The group noted that recognition of community forest rights continues to lag, undermining gram sabhas’ authority over forest and common lands.
Demands for Action
The organisation also called for an immediate end to forced evictions, bulldozer-led demolitions and coercive land acquisition. It demanded that gram sabha consent and social impact assessments be made compulsory for all projects affecting land, forests, commons or local livelihoods.
