Shankar Kashyap

Shankar Kashyap is a human rights defender and the President of the Adivasi Adhikar Bachao Manch, an organization that has been mobilizing protest movements to secure the rights of the Adivasi community. He is closely linked to the Morohnar Jan Andolan protest movement, which has been peacefully campaigning against iron ore mining in the Amdai Ghati Hills by Jayaswal Neco Limited Company. He is a vocal campaigner against the forcible acquisition of land and the impact of large-scale mining companies on the land, environment, livelihoods, and housing rights of affected indigenous communities. His work involves advocating for the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 and the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act 1996, which mandate public consultation with the local community before sanctioning mining projects in Adivasi lands, resisting iron ore mining, and the construction of paramilitary camps in the region.