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Rattled by the London-based media report on the exploitation of primitive Jarawa tribe by tourists, the Centre on Wednesday sought an immediate report from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands administration.
Officials said the issue will figure in the meetings chaired by Home Minister P Chidambaram during his two-day visit to the Island beginning January 21. Chidambaram will take stock of various development programmes being carried out there by the Union Territory administration.
British newspaper The Guardian and the The Observer weekly had released video footage of police involvement in ‘human safaris’ in the Andaman Islands. The videos were aired on Indian TV channels also after the controversy. The policeman had allegedly taken a bribe of 200 GBP to take tourists into the protected Jarawa reserve.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration, however, termed as "highly irresponsible" the media reports that said a group of scantily-clad Jarawa tribe women were allegedly forced to dance in front of tourists. While the administration expressed that it was not clear in which year the video clip was recorded, it said it was amply clear that the person alleged to have asked the women to do so was not a policeman.
"It is clarified that at the time this video was recorded, most of the Jarawas did not wear clothes. Even today those in the jungle are not clothed. It is also obvious that it is videographer (who is breaking the law of the land) and who is inciting them to dance," a statement released by the UT police said.
Commenting on the role of NGOs SEARCH and Survival International, the police alleged that the director and employees of the NGO have taken up on themselves to draw fat salaries and benefits from funds donated for primitive tribes. The Island administration also said it would serve legal notice on two Delhi-based TV channels telecasting the video footage.
The lone MP from the Islands, Bishnu Pada Ray, told PTI that the video tapes were very old and government should take immediate action against this. He said ATR road should not be shut down because the ATR is the life line of Middle and North Andamans people. He also backed facilitating the Jarawas' entry into mainstream.
Officials said the issue will figure in the meetings chaired by Home Minister P Chidambaram during his two-day visit to the Island beginning January 21. Chidambaram will take stock of various development programmes being carried out there by the Union Territory administration.
British newspaper The Guardian and the The Observer weekly had released video footage of police involvement in ‘human safaris’ in the Andaman Islands. The videos were aired on Indian TV channels also after the controversy. The policeman had allegedly taken a bribe of 200 GBP to take tourists into the protected Jarawa reserve.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration, however, termed as "highly irresponsible" the media reports that said a group of scantily-clad Jarawa tribe women were allegedly forced to dance in front of tourists. While the administration expressed that it was not clear in which year the video clip was recorded, it said it was amply clear that the person alleged to have asked the women to do so was not a policeman.
"It is clarified that at the time this video was recorded, most of the Jarawas did not wear clothes. Even today those in the jungle are not clothed. It is also obvious that it is videographer (who is breaking the law of the land) and who is inciting them to dance," a statement released by the UT police said.
Commenting on the role of NGOs SEARCH and Survival International, the police alleged that the director and employees of the NGO have taken up on themselves to draw fat salaries and benefits from funds donated for primitive tribes. The Island administration also said it would serve legal notice on two Delhi-based TV channels telecasting the video footage.
The lone MP from the Islands, Bishnu Pada Ray, told PTI that the video tapes were very old and government should take immediate action against this. He said ATR road should not be shut down because the ATR is the life line of Middle and North Andamans people. He also backed facilitating the Jarawas' entry into mainstream.
