In yet another show of their united strength the small and traditional fishers of Sundarban came out in thousands on 11th October 2017 to demonstrate their wrath against the Tiger Project authorities and compelled them to announce that the unjust and illegal order regarding cancellation and redistribution of boat license certificate’ (BLCs) passed by the Department of Forest, Government of West Bengal, will not be implemented. The backdrop to this movement of the fishing communities of Sundarban was set by the more than three decades old history of torture and harassment perpetrated by the forest and tiger project officials on poor indigenous fishing communities since the imposition of Tiger Project in Sundarban. Tiger project occupied more than half of the total forest area of Indian Sundarban and declared it as Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR)’. The project declared more than half of this huge area as core’ and stopped all livelihood activities, including fishing, in the area. The rest area was declared as buffer’ and only 923 boats were given license (BLC) to fish in it. Sundarban Reserve Forest situated in the other (western) part the forest had about 3,700 boats with BLC. Both these numbers have been grossly inadequate in comparison with the number of fishers and fishing boats operating in respective areas. Dry wood and shell collection was totally stopped. Honey collection was restricted by permits and all collected honey was to be deposited with the forest department. All these were done without any consultation with the affected communities, let alone the question of taking their consent. This gave rise to a severe and permanent conflict between the forest department and the communities dependent on the forest for livelihood. As the largest among the forest dependent communities the fishers have been bearing the brunt of the tortures and harassment and have also been at the fore front of the struggle. Physical assaults, abuses, confiscation of boats, nets, permits or BLCs without any seizure memo, clamping of heavy fines, taking away the best catches of fish and crab, spoiling of drinking water and food of the fishers the unjust and illegal acts of forest department know no bound. In February this year the forest department came up with another design to further deprive the fishing communities of their rights. An order was issued to cancel old BLCs and re-issue those to genuine fishermen. A committee was formed with local MLAs. Panchayat Samity Presidents, Forest Department Officials, NGOs and one officer from the fisheries department. This committee would be in charge of cancellation of old BLCs and distribution of new BLCs. The eligibility criteria for recipients of new BLCs were fixed as in the following 1. Genuine Fisherman; 2. Living in area adjacent to the forest; 3. Membership of Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC); and 4. Recommendation from President of Panchayat Samity. This was too much for the fishing communities. The rights they had been enjoying and claiming as traditional fishermen were denied and proposed to be subjected to conditions that suited the forest department. How could their rights as fishermen be subjected to their being members of JFMC? Why recommendation of President of Panchayat Samity, who was a political person and would try to further his party political interest, be made mandatory? And last but not the least, who is going to identify whether a person is a genuine fisher or not? What right the forest department has got to determine this? Led by Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum a joint movement of Sundarban fishers was called by Sundarban Matsyajibi Joutha Sangram Committee and West Bengal United Fishermen Association. On 11th October 2017 around 2,000 fishers, majority of whom were women, gathered near the Tiger Project headquarters. The deputation to the Tiger Project headquarters was led by Pradip Chatterjee, President, Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum, Gobinda Das, Secretary, Sundarban Matsyajibi Joutha Sangram Committee and Bimal Jana, Vice-President, West Bengal United Fishermen Association along with other leaders. The Deputy Field Director of STR received them. The Field Director was absent. It was reported that he was attending a training programme. The delegation of fish workers’ leaders took exception of the absence of Field Director and asked the Deputy Field Director to note that the Field Director himself gave the appointment about one month later than the date requested by the fisher organisations and his absence was an example of the gross disregard of the fishing communities and their organisations. Then the delegation asked the Deputy Field Director by what law of the country the forest officers and staffs are physically assaulting the fishers. They also asked him by what law of the country the forest department officers and staff confiscate boats, nets, BLCs and permits from fishers without issuing any seizure memo. The Deputy Field Director could not give any answer. He promised that the STR authority will caution its entire staff against physically assaulting any fisher. He also said that no government official can confiscate anything without giving a seizure memo and accepted that it was a malpractice of the forest officers. Then the delegation asked who empowered the forest department to curtail the livelihood rights of the fishing communities and impose conditions like membership of JFMC and other ones for getting a BLC. To this the Deputy Field Director said that they have realised that the new order on cancellation and re-distribution of BLCs cannot be implemented. He announced before the delegation that the said order will not be implemented and Tiger Reserve authorities are sending it back to the forest department saying that it is not implementable. He also promised to look into the grievances of the fishing communities and asked the members of the delegation to inform him in the event of any such incidence. The members of the delegation pointed out to the Deputy Field Director that while the forest department is almost exclusively bent on curbing the fishers’ right to fish in the waters of Sundarban, they take least interest in conserving the forest. The delegation asked him what steps had been taken by the forest department against the illegal construction of tourist resorts coming up destroying mangroves and mudflats, or against the scores of fish ponds dug out on the river beds destroying and obstructing mangrove propagation, or how many references have been made by the forest department to the government of West Bengal to stop the pollution that flows into Sundarban from Kolkata and adjacent municipal and industrial areas through rivers and water channels. The Deputy Field Director was visibly uncomfortable and had no answer. The fishers were happy to learn that their struggle scored an immediate success and the order on BLC has been suspended. They also sensed that the forest officers are on the back foot now and the most important strategy is to keep up the pressure. They planned to continue with their demonstrations at all the forest range offices in Sundarban.