However, it is important to recognize that the struggle for Forest Rights in West Bengal goes back to colonial times when the colonial state declared these are ‘reserve forests’ [3], which meant the denial of all rights of the tribal communities living in these forests, as well as the eviction of these communities from these reserved areas [2]. 

Moreover, the villages are continuously subjected to a gross violation of their various forest rights by the forest officials, including obstruction from exercising their rights to enter their forest and graze their cattle, collection of firewood and fishing and intercropping in the forest. Besides, villages like Holapada Titi and North Khairbari in Madarihat forest range live in constant fear of eviction [2].

Since 2013, hundreds of gram sabha members of North Khairbari forest village in Madarihat Range of Coochbehar Forest Division have resisted repeated attempts by the forest department to carry out a clear-felling coupe (CFC) in the forest which they assert as their Community Forest Resource (CFR). This happened after the formation of the Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC), which on the one hand was carrying out development activities (such as the construction of roads among others), and on the other hand, it was deliberately cutting the trees around the village [1]. Involvement of JFMC members from outer villages makes the North Khairbari attempt for clear felling unique: this is the first time forest department could directly use JFMC members against any gram sabha. Another point of concern is the involvement of police in what should purely be a departmental operation. Indeed, according to the law, section 21 of Indian Penal code and sec. 9 of FRA 2006, the gram sabha has the duty to protect  their community forest resource area, and cannot be prosecuted for carrying out their duties [1]. 

In this protest women have been at the forefront of the resistance, organizing peaceful demonstrations and activities such as hugging their trees and hence protecting them from being felled. In 2014, a strong protest participated by hundreds of gram sabhas and supported by the Uttar Banga Ban-Jan Shromojivi Manch, lead to the filing of criminal cases against five members of the North Khairbari gram sabha, namely Rabi Rabha, Subhas Rabha, Kutin Rabha, Sarbat Rabha and Bipin Rabha under sections 34, 186, 341 and 353 of IPC viz. case no 514 dated 18 January 2014.

From this protest, the movement has acquired confidence and authority in their struggle, and they are now managing their community forest resource area with determination. A testimony is a letter dated 18 January 2017(should be 2014--please check) by the FD requesting the permission to the North Karbari gram sabhas for tree cutting operation (shared by Sundarsingh Rabha, a member of the community and of UBBJSM) .

Jaldapara National Park is a national park situated at the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in the Aliparduar District of northern West Bengal. It was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1941 by the English Colonial to protect the fauna and flora of the area. It was extended up to an area of 261.51 sq km in 1998, and officially recognized under the category of National Park in 2014.

The area is mostly inhabited by the indigenous community of Rabha. Others include Oraons, Mundas, Kharia, Chik Baraik brought in from Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and settled in these villages during the colonial rule to form a captive labour pool for forestry operations. Holapada Titi is home to communities from Nepal namely Chetri, Sharma, Mangar, Biswakarma, Majhi and Tamang. North Khairbari inhabitants include, besides Rabhas, Pradhan and Mech/Bodo communities. Predominant religions are Hinduism and Christianity. Languages spoken in the region are Rabha, Nepali, Bengali, Hindi, Kuduk, Sadri, Bodo [4]

The nearby Chilapata Forest is an elephant corridor between Jaldapara and Buxa Tiger Reserve, and it is mostly in this area that the cut felling coup (CFC) is taking place.