We provide them education, impart knowledge and training. We assist them to claim their rights and justice. The Sabar tribes is an ethnic group in the eastern region, mostly dwelling in the forests of erstwhile Manbhum district during the British rule. The Criminal Tribes Act was imposed in 1871. The entire community was designated as “criminal tribe”. Restrictions on their lives were also imposed
. Adult male members of the group were forced to report to the local police regularly. Due to the stigma of “born criminals” under the above Act this community was socially boycotted, thus remained isolated from the mainstream society. Hunting and gathering food was the prime mean of their survival along with serving to local rulers. The independence in 1947 lead the transition phase. Sabar tribes were compelled to leave the forest and had to face several brutalities and torcher form forest and police department. The Act was repealed in August 1949 and former "criminal tribes" were denotified in 1952, when the Act was replaced with the Habitual Offenders Act 1952 of Government of India. They still continued being subjected to atrocities by police and forest guards taking the advantage of “habitual offender” tag. After eviction from forests the Sabar community settled in the forest fringe areas in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. However, no proper rehabilitation program was extended to them. They still remained dependent on the forest for food since they did not have the knowledge of farming, moreover not possessing any farming land. The income of this community did not have any defined means. Habitual Offenders Act still remained as a weapon to the police haunting the community. In order to safeguard the community the ‘Sabar Samiti’ came in to existence on 7th January 1968 in the form of a community collective at Kuda village of Purulia district. It started as a movement on forest right by Kheria Sabar tribe of Purulia. However, getting attention from the authorities at that era was difficult. Lack of fund was deterrent to development by the Samiti itself. Till 1983 the agenda remained to get rights of the lost forest land. This society took rebirth as Paschim Banga Kheria Sabar Kalyan Samity at Maldi that year. In 1983 Jnanpith awardee, social activist and renowned writer Mahashweta Devi joined the Sabar Samiti to guide and support the Samiti as an acting president. Later in 1989 it got registered under West Bengal Society Registration Act. The oppression from police department declined slowly owing to the activism of the Samiti.
