Saleem Farook was an Indian tribal rights activist and social worker[1] from Karnataka.

[8] During this period the local government made an attempt to interact with the people of Thuamul Rampur block and Sri R.B.

Pattanaik who was the then collector of Kalahandi advised the group led by Farook (which was later to become Antodaya) to explore the possibilities of initiating community development work in either Lanjigarh or Thuamul Rampur block.

A public interest litigation was filed in the Odisha high court by Farook which led to a Commission of Inquiry by Justice Baidyanath Mishra.

He took active steps to stop child selling, starvation, land alienation and killings due to superstitions in the area.