It is one of the most isolated tribes in the world which has preserved the hunter-gatherer tradition for up to 60,000 years.

But the Jarawa's ancient way of life may soon be shattered forever after a tribesman was accused of murdering a baby.

The five month old boy was found drowned on the tribe's remote South Andaman Island home, which lies in the Bay of Bengal between India and Thailand.

The Jarawa are protected by law and Indian police are under instruction to interfere as little as possible with their way of life (file picture)

The five month old boy was found drowned on the tribe's remote South Andaman Island home, which lies in the Bay of Bengal between India and Thailand

His mother was unmarried and he had a lighter skin than his kin, leading police to suspect he had been killed because his father was an outsider.

The Jarawa are protected by law and Indian police are under instruction to interfere as little as possible with their way of life. No tribesmen has ever been arrested.

But the boy's murder has prompted outcry with a number of witnesses coming forward to officers.

According to the New York Times, two women say they saw a Jarawa man drinking alcohol with someone who had entered the reserve illegally the night before the child's death.

The witnesses reportedly said that the tribesman, named Tatehane, took the five-month-old child from his mother while she was asleep.

His body was later found on a beach where, police say, he had been drowned.

Tatehane has not yet been arrested - despite being accused of carrying out the killing - and the matter has now been forwarded to India's Tribal Welfare Department for further consideration.

The Jarawa's ancient way of life may soon be shattered forever after a tribesman was accused of murdering a baby (file picture)

Details of the mother's relationship with the father remain unclear, but there are reports in India that a non-tribal man has been arrested on suspicion of rape.

A second non-tribal man, suspected of giving Tatehane alcohol, has also been arrested after being accused of abetting murder and interfering with aboriginal tribes, the New York Times reports.

THE JARAWA: INDIA'S 'LOST TRIBE' The Jarawa are believed to have been the first people to successfully migrate out of Africa when they came to the Andaman islands 60,000 years ago, according to scientists. Between 250 and 400 of the hunter-gatherers are believed to live in their 300 square mile reserve in South Andaman Island. They have traditionally survived on the raw meat of wild boar. Their name means 'people of the earth' or 'hostile people'. Advertisement

The South Andaman police superindendent in charge of the investigation, Atul Kumar Thakur, said that 'nobody is above the law' but added that the tribe has 'special status,' adding: 'We are duty-bound to protect their interests.'

Scientists believes the Jarawas were the first people to successfully migrate out of Africa when they came to the Andaman islands about 60,000 years ago.

No member of the tribe had ever been named as a suspect in a crime such is the level of protection given to the community, which has survived for thousands of years by hunting and gathering on their reserve.

Normally Jarawa are simply escorted back to their 300 square mile reserve if they commit crimes in outlying villages.