Ranchi, Oct 16 (IANS): Tribal groups in Jharkhand are protesting against the award of the Gandhi Foundation International Peace Award 2011 to activists Binayak Sen and Bulu Imama.

The Jharkhand Human Rights Movement and the Jharkhand Indigenous People's Forum have jointly written a letter to Binayak Sen and Bulu Imama, asking them not to accept the award on the behalf of tribals.

Both organisations have also written to Gandhi Foundation president Richard Attenborough.

"We have objections as the award will be given to non-tribal people in the name of Adivasis. We want to know whether the foundation did not get any tribal leader for the award," Human Rights Movement general secretary Gladson Dundung told IANS.

Echoing him, Zerom Z. Kujur, convener of the Indigenous People's Forum, said: "We request the Gandhi Foundation either to change the name of the award or change the award winners.

"We have no objection if Sen and Imam are conferred awards for their own work. They do not belong to the tribal community, so how could they be conferred award in the name of a tribal leader," he asked.

The awards ceremony will take place in Britain Nov 9.