Andaman: Balancing Development and Tribal Identity

Recently, a US citizen was allegedly killed by Sentinelese tribesmen, one of the last remaining uncontacted tribal groups in the world. This episode yet again underlines the fact that Sentinelese need to be out of bounds of Indian citizens, as had been the case earlier.

For a long time, North Sentinel Island, the home of the Sentinelese, had been out of bounds to Indian citizens and foreign nationals. However, in the first week of August 2018, the government of India removed the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) from 29 islands in order to foster tourism in the archipelago of Andaman & Nicobar. ....