Thiruvananthapuram, March 4: Tribals illegally occupying a plantation for the past 215 days are said to have procured cyanide capsules to stall a court-ordered eviction.

The group of over 7,000, including children, has refused to leave the 800-acre Harrisons Malayalam estate at Chengara in Pathanamthitta’s Adur, 125km from Thiruvananthapuram, unless each family is given five acres, Rs 50,000 and other housing facilities.

Fearing a Nandigram-type situation, the Left government on Monday asked police to withdraw just as they were about to start removing the squatters. The high court has set March 7 as the deadline for peaceful eviction.

Police officials conceded there was tension in the area but didn’t appear ready to believe the “cyanide claim”. “The crowds are restive. They had flaunted kerosene cans yesterday but none apparently had matches. I believe that the cyanide capsules are at best a claim,” said inspector-general (south zone) Arun Kumar Sinha.

The government fears a repeat of the tribal occupation of the Muthanga wildlife sanctuary in 2002, when a tribal activist and a policeman had died during the eviction.

Home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told the Assembly today that the government had to comply with the court directive but was wary of ordering forces into the plantation for fear of violence and bloodshed.

“We know that most of the so-called tribal people occupying the plantation have land and a good number of them sport the tribal tag for convenience,” he added. A committee has been set up to negotiate with the protesters.