The Crossbill News Desk
Pradip Prabhu, a prominent Adivasi rights activist and founder of the Kashtakari Sanghatana, died in Pune on August 25, 2026, following a prolonged illness. He was 78.
Known affectionately as Pradipbhau to generations of Adivasis, activists and friends, Prabhu spent nearly five decades organising and supporting struggles for land, forest rights, wages, dignity and self-governance. His work also played a significant role in the campaigns that led to two landmark laws concerning India's tribal communities — the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, or PESA, and the Forest Rights Act.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Prabhu's academic journey took him through the study of theology and philosophy, followed by management at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He later trained as a lawyer. But his life took a decisive turn away from conventional professional paths as he immersed himself in the struggles of Adivasis, landless labourers and marginal farmers in Maharashtra.
In 1978, he founded the Kashtakari Sanghatana in Dahanu, then part of Thane district and now in Palghar. The organisation emerged as a mass movement of Adivasi landless labourers and marginal farmers who faced exploitation and harassment from landlords, the police, forest authorities and the jungle mafia.
Prabhu's political philosophy was rooted in the belief that the oppressed could secure their rights only through collective struggle. He believed, and taught the oppressed people that rights are never given — they must be taken, fought for, won and preserved.
Over the decades, Prabhu became a familiar presence in movements involving Adivasi communities and marginalised groups across the country. He faced repeated criminal cases, imprisonment and threats of externment. He was also threatened with action under TADA and, according to accounts of his life and work, narrowly escaped staged “encounters”.
Despite these pressures, Prabhu continued his activism and legal work, defending Adivasi claims over Jal, Jungle, Jameen — water, forests and land.
Those who worked with him remember him not only as an organiser but also as a teacher and mentor. His interests ranged across law, political ideology, pedagogy, tribal traditions, cultural history, public policy and political economy. Yet he was known for his ability to communicate complex ideas in accessible language, whether to a villager in a remote Adivasi hamlet or a worker living in an urban slum.
His approach to teaching encouraged people to question power and authority, while remaining committed to collective action and grounded in humility.
He was also remembered for the distinctive force with which he raised the slogan “Zindabad”, a rallying cry that, for many activists and young people associated with people's movements, came to embody his commitment to social justice and equality.
Prabhu's most enduring contribution, however, was his role in building national campaigns for Adivasi self-rule and forest rights. He was one of the founders of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity and convenor of the National Front for Tribal Self-Rule.
These movements played a central role in mobilising support for the Forest Rights Act and the PESA, respectively. The two laws established important legal protections for Adivasi communities, including rights over forest land and greater powers for Gram Sabhas in Fifth Schedule areas.
Prabhu was also associated with the Shoshit Jan Andolan and Bharat Jan Andolan, movements that brought together Adivasi communities and other oppressed sections.
From the villages and forests of Maharashtra to national campaigns that helped reshape the legal framework governing tribal rights, Prabhu's life remained closely tied to the struggles of those whose voices were often excluded from centres of power. His death marks the passing of a major figure in India's Adivasi rights movement, but the organisations, laws and generations of activists shaped by his work remain part of his legacy.
Known affectionately as Pradipbhau to generations of Adivasis, activists and friends, Prabhu spent nearly five decades organising and supporting struggles for land, forest rights, wages, dignity and self-governance. His work also played a significant role in the campaigns that led to two landmark laws concerning India's tribal communities — the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, or PESA, and the Forest Rights Act.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Prabhu's academic journey took him through the study of theology and philosophy, followed by management at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He later trained as a lawyer. But his life took a decisive turn away from conventional professional paths as he immersed himself in the struggles of Adivasis, landless labourers and marginal farmers in Maharashtra.
In 1978, he founded the Kashtakari Sanghatana in Dahanu, then part of Thane district and now in Palghar. The organisation emerged as a mass movement of Adivasi landless labourers and marginal farmers who faced exploitation and harassment from landlords, the police, forest authorities and the jungle mafia.
Prabhu's political philosophy was rooted in the belief that the oppressed could secure their rights only through collective struggle. He believed, and taught the oppressed people that rights are never given — they must be taken, fought for, won and preserved.
Over the decades, Prabhu became a familiar presence in movements involving Adivasi communities and marginalised groups across the country. He faced repeated criminal cases, imprisonment and threats of externment. He was also threatened with action under TADA and, according to accounts of his life and work, narrowly escaped staged “encounters”.
Despite these pressures, Prabhu continued his activism and legal work, defending Adivasi claims over Jal, Jungle, Jameen — water, forests and land.
Those who worked with him remember him not only as an organiser but also as a teacher and mentor. His interests ranged across law, political ideology, pedagogy, tribal traditions, cultural history, public policy and political economy. Yet he was known for his ability to communicate complex ideas in accessible language, whether to a villager in a remote Adivasi hamlet or a worker living in an urban slum.
His approach to teaching encouraged people to question power and authority, while remaining committed to collective action and grounded in humility.
He was also remembered for the distinctive force with which he raised the slogan “Zindabad”, a rallying cry that, for many activists and young people associated with people's movements, came to embody his commitment to social justice and equality.
Prabhu's most enduring contribution, however, was his role in building national campaigns for Adivasi self-rule and forest rights. He was one of the founders of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity and convenor of the National Front for Tribal Self-Rule.
These movements played a central role in mobilising support for the Forest Rights Act and the PESA, respectively. The two laws established important legal protections for Adivasi communities, including rights over forest land and greater powers for Gram Sabhas in Fifth Schedule areas.
Prabhu was also associated with the Shoshit Jan Andolan and Bharat Jan Andolan, movements that brought together Adivasi communities and other oppressed sections.
From the villages and forests of Maharashtra to national campaigns that helped reshape the legal framework governing tribal rights, Prabhu's life remained closely tied to the struggles of those whose voices were often excluded from centres of power. His death marks the passing of a major figure in India's Adivasi rights movement, but the organisations, laws and generations of activists shaped by his work remain part of his legacy.
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