Seshachalam Tragedy: A Decade of Silence and Desperate Call for Justice

Vanaja Jasphine and Edgar Kaiser

On April 7, 2015, the Seshachalam forest in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, became the backdrop for one of the darkest chapters in India’s fight for human rights.

On the 10th anniversary of the Seshachalam tragedy, this year, families of the victims, their neighbours, and civil society actors gathered to commemorate the demise of those who succumbed to state violence in 2015. This year, the solemn gathering took place at one of the victims’ homes in Polur, Thiruvannamalai district in Tamil Nadu, where victim families from Thiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Salem districts came together to mourn. They paid homage to their husbands, sons and brothers, sharing their pain and anguish while vehemently placing forward their demand for justice.

The loss remains fresh, and the victims’ families continue to feel hopeless as they seek recognition for their suffering and demand action from both the state governments and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). These men, who were the sole breadwinners, ventured out in search of a livelihood, oblivious of the life-changing tragedy that was waiting for them.

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