Encroachers or Forest Dwellers? | Megamalai, Karayar & Kanyakumari Ground Report

Thousands of families living across Megamalai, Karayar and Kanyakumari are now facing an uncertain future after the Supreme Court ordered the eviction and rehabilitation of encroachers from protected forest areas.

But how did these communities come to live here? Why are they now classified as encroachers? And can the forests be protected without uprooting families who say these hills have been their home for generations?

We travelled across the Agasthyamalai landscape to hear their stories and understand what lies behind the numbers.