The Codava National Council (CNC), championing the indigenous Codava community’s quest for self-determination, will hold a non-violent Satyagraha at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on November 1 branding the day of State Reorganisation Day, as Incursion Day.

Under Chairman N.U. Nachappa Codava, a delegation from Codavaland will voice their dignified dissent, commemorating the 1956 dissolution of the Part “C” State of Coorg, which submerged Codava identity, folklore, and customary laws under dominant state structures.

The CNC labels this merger a 20th-century geopolitical disaster, accusing governments of orchestrating constitutional violations and UN indigenous rights breaches by treating Codavaland as a colonised resource hub.

This, they claim, has fuelled deliberate demographic engineering to marginalise Codavas, erasing their Animistic, non-caste practices as evidenced by historical records like Lingaraja’s 18th-century “Hukumnama” and British censuses (1871–1931) that recognised Codavas as a unique race.

The Satyagraha demands Codavaland’s autonomy under the 6th Schedule, ST classification for the mono-ethnic Codavas, and protection of their “Thok-Gun” ritual under Articles 25 and 26, comparable to the Sikh Kirpan. The CNC seeks a distinct census code in the 2026–27 enumeration to revive their suppressed identity, alongside Codava Thakk’s inclusion in the 8th Schedule, UNESCO heritage status for Codava culture, and legal personhood for the Cauvery River, with Talacauvery as a sacred Codava site.

Further requests include exclusive parliamentary representation, an Inner Line Permit to prevent land alienation, and restitution of properties expropriated by historical rulers, per UN indigenous guidelines.

Nachappa highlighted the urgency of countering external settlements and commercial land grabs that threaten Codava heritage, urging Government of Karnataka and Government of India to address these 35-year demands through legislative action. The peaceful demonstration aims to draw national and global attention to Codava struggles, ensuring their survival in India’s vast ethnic mosaic through constitutional justice and cultural restoration.