Central India’s indigenous forests are falling victim to bullets and bulldozers

Chhattisgarh, located in India's tribal heartland, has been a site of protracted conflict for over three decades, where Maoist insurgencies and state counterinsurgency operations intersect with the rapid forces of industrialisation. This article examines how militarization and mining have devastated the region’s dense forests, which sustain both Indigenous Adivasi communities and diverse wildlife. Using firsthand photographs shared by Adivasi activist Soni Sori, it documents the environmental destruction caused by gunfire, explosives, and deforestation. The loss of keystone species like the Mahua and Sal trees has had cascading effects on Adivasi women's livelihoods, exacerbating poverty, food insecurity, and cultural erosion. Wildlife, including sloth bears and tigers, has also become an unintended casualty of both conflict and habitat loss. Meanwhile, aggressive mineral extraction continues to fuel deforestation and ecological collapse. The article argues that the devastation of Chhattisgarh’s forests signifies more than environmental degradation—it represents the ongoing erasure of Indigenous ways of life. The article highlights how structural violence against people, forests, and animals are deeply interconnected, raising urgent questions about development, conservation, and justice in conflict-affected regions.