Bela Bhatia lives in Bastar, a predominantly tribal area of south Chhattisgarh, and works there as an independent human rights lawyer, researcher and writer. After completing her post-graduation in social work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and securing a law degree from Gujarat University, Bela also pursued a doctorate in social and political sciences from the University of Cambridge. She began her professional journey as a full-time activist organizing labourers and marginal farmers in rural Gujarat.
Bela also spent two years doing peace and human rights work in Iraq and Palestine. She is the co-author (with others) of Unheard Voices: Iraqi Women on War and Sanctions; co-editor (with others) of War and Peace in the Gulf: Testimonies of the Gulf Peace Team and author of India’s Forgotten Country: A View from the Margins (Penguin, May 2024)
