ABSTRACT
The chapter highlights the distrust Adivasis have with the legal system and why they believe the only way their voices will be heard is through political movements. However, as the chapter reveals, political movements come at the cost of being labelled terrorists. The chapter also reveals another method employed by the state to suppress dissent voices and break the unity of the Adivasis. Successful examples of Adivasi resistance against the state's development agenda, albeit temporarily, such as Koel-Karo and Netrahat, are not seen kindly by the state as they can fuel Adivasi movements. To counteract such movements, the state controls the dissemination of information. This is the reason an Adivasi who was interviewed claimed that successful examples such as Koel-Karo or Netrahat have received little media attention, instead, everyone talks of examples like Narmada Bachao Andolan, where even though the resistance movement received international coverage, their efforts were futile. By mainly disseminating resistance stories that have not succeeded, the state destroys the hope of resistance movements succeeding, thereby breaking the unity of the Adivasis. Such moves by the state further the sense of futility among the Adivasis, who question if their efforts are worthwhile.
