Shompen tribe pressured to adopt modern lifestyle, alleges Tribal Council

Tribal leaders accuse the Andaman and Nicobar administration of pressuring the isolated Shompen tribe to adopt a modern lifestyle as part of the Great Nicobar Island project. They allege that at a July 16 meeting, then-Chief Secretary Chandra Bhushan Kumar said the Shompen must adopt a modern lifestyle and that a settlement may be built. The Council's concerns were ignored, and the Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, are not to be disturbed per earlier assurances.