MU, Jan. 22 -- Raising slogans and holding placards, around 150 residents from tribal hamlets inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) staged a peaceful morcha outside the park on Tuesday, protesting against the eviction notices issued by the forest department and alleging attempts to forcibly displace them from their ancestral land. The protest, which began around 11 am, came amid rising fear among residents after notices were put up across several padas on January 13. The public notice issued by the office of the deputy director (South), SGNP, states that "as per the orders passed by the Hon'ble High Court, Bombay, an encroachment removal (padkam) campaign will be implemented in Sanjay Gandhi National Park from 19.01.2026 to 28.01.2026", warning that unauthorised structures will be demolished and legal action initiated if occupants fail to vacate forest land. The notice further cautions that opposing the proceedings would amount to contempt of court. Residents alleged that the notices were pasted between 2 am and 3 am, triggering panic in multiple hamlets. "At least eight padas have these notices now. They are treating entire villages as encroachments," said Sanjay Kavle, one of the protesters who lives inside SGNP. Kavle claimed that soon after the notices were put up, basic services were disrupted. "Bus services have been stopped, toilets shut, and there is no permanent electricity," he said. "Earlier, buses were available till evening. Children used these routes to go to school. Everything has been cut off in the last few days." Kavle added that residents were summoned to the forest department office last week and informed that the action was based on a high court order. "They are saying we will be shifted to SRA buildings, but this is our ancestral land," he said. "We do not want to go to SRA buildings or rehabilitation colonies." Activist Amrita Bhattacharjee said the move was a fundamental violation of tribal rights. "Tribals cannot be considered encroachers and shifted to SRA buildings. Tribal rights are protected under law," she said, adding that such actions undermined the Forest Rights Act (FRA). "Under the FRA, recognition of rights is a separate process. Our gram sabha processes are pending. Without completing that, how can they call us encroachers?" asked Kavle, adding that villagers were now trying to work with local committees and gram sabhas to stop the eviction drive. The current action follows directions issued by a high court-appointed committee tasked with ensuring the removal of encroachments from SGNP. However, tribal residents insist that they do not fall under the category of encroachers and have lived in the forest for generations. "We are being included in an encroachment list without verification," the protesters alleged. The issue has been brewing since October 2025 when the state government indicated that tribals identified as encroachers inside SGNP would be shifted to rehabilitation buildings in Marol-Maroshi, triggering widespread opposition. Tribal groups had then argued that relocation without completing the FRA procedures was illegal. While the forest department has maintained that the drive targets illegal occupations, protesters fear mass evictions under the guise of court orders. Forest officials did not respond to calls or text messages from HT seeking comment. Residents said that their protests would continue until the notices were withdrawn, services restored, and the authorities made it clear that tribal hamlets would not be treated as encroachments....