To protect the rights of tribals, a new organisation, the Movement for Tribal Welfare, was launched on Tuesday under the leadership of Muthulakshmi, wife of slain forest brigand Veerappan, on his first death anniversary.

Tamil Nationalist Movement leader P Nedumaran announced the organisation's name in Muthulakshmi's presence at a meeting held at Moolakadu near Mettur in Salem district, where Veerappan was buried.

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The main objective of the movement was to protect the rights of tribals and rehabilitate people who suffered from the alleged atrocities by some personnel of the Special Task Force, over a period of time when they were hunting for the outlaw, sources who attended the meeting said.

The organisation will also work for the early release of the Sadasivam Commission report, which went into the alleged STF atrocities and also seek adequate compensation to the victims, the sources said.