Dalit activists protest on Punjab's Sangrur jail premises, demand 927 acres of erstwhile Jind Riyasat to set up ‘Begampura'
The ninth and last titular king of the Jind Riyasat, Satbir Singh, died in Gurugram in August 2023.
ZPSC president Mukesh Maloud and finance secretary Bikkar Singh Hathoa alleged that the activists were forcibly stopped and arrested during their peaceful march to reclaim land in Sangrur's Bir Eswan village under the Land Ceiling Act.
Months ago, the ZPSC — a forum of dalits members from Sangrur district — had launched an agitation to reclaim land at Bir Eswan village in Sangrur district.
'The land measures 927 acres. After the death of Jind Riyasat's last ruler Satbir Singh, ZPSC started an agitation, demanding to distribute the land among landless dalit families as the Land Ceiling Act prohibits ownership of land measuring over 17 acres. On May 20, we had planned an agitation at Bir Eswan but our members were arrested midway. While some were released late at night, over 400 individuals remain in custody and nearly 300 were jailed. As many as 70 labourers are being held in Sangrur jail, 35 in Malerkotla, 66 in Patiala, and 85 in Nabha, while nearly 100 women are detained in Bathinda jail. Disturbingly, the location of the remaining detainees remains undisclosed,' Pendu Khet Mazdoor Union president Tarsem Peter told The Indian Express.
'The administration is refusing to reveal where the rest are being held. This is a cruel and unacceptable act that violates every democratic norm,' said Peter.
The ZPSC wants Dalits should be settled on this land and the area to be named as 'Begampura'.
The ZPSC president alleged, 'The detained activists are being subjected to inhumane treatment. They are confined in overcrowded cells for 24 hours, denied clean drinking water, proper food, and even barred from receiving essential items and clothes sent by their families.'
'The hunger strike in the jail was initiated to protest the suppression of landless Dalit workers' rights. Of particular concern is the case of student activists, including Sukhdeep Kaur of the Punjab Students Union, who were detained for supporting the land rights struggle and were reportedly not allowed to appear for their scheduled examinations in jail, an act the Committee termed as blatantly undemocratic and tyrannical,' Peter added.
Responding to the mass detentions, the Pendu Mazdoor Union has intensified its campaign against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. 'The union has announced a state-wide protest, demanding justice for over 400 landless dalit labourers, both men and women, who were arrested. Many of them are either lodged in jail or untraceable,' alleged PMU general secretary Avtar Singh Rasoolpur.
PMUpress secretary Kashmir Singh Ghugashor said, 'I condemn the government for siding with landlords and corporate houses by attempting to block the Begampura settlement, a proposed settlement for landless labourers on 927 acres in Bir Eswan village.' The Pendu Khet Mazdoor Union too demanded 'immediate and unconditional release of all arrested activists.
Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said, 'The land primarily consists of forest bed, with nearly 800 acres classified as such. Additionally, about 125 acres of arable land are under the cultivation of private individuals linked to the late kin Satbir Singh's ownership. The transfer of ownership from the kin to the government is currently under dispute. The matter is sub judice in the High Court. The court has ordered that the status quo of the property be maintained, which means that ownership has not yet been transferred to the Punjab government. Therefore, the ZPSC cannot claim it in the manner they want to, as the management of the nazul land is governed by specific rules.'
In Jalandhar, Satpal Virdhi, former general secretary of Dera Sant Sarwan Das Ji Sachkhand Balan, the largest dera of the Ravidassia community, has written to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, condemning the mass arrest of landless Dalit labourers and leaders of the Pendu Mazdoor Union during their peaceful movement to claim land rights on 927 acres in the abandoned village of Bir Aeswan in Sangrur.
The incident has sparked widespread concern over human rights violations and the state government's response to longstanding demands for land redistribution. Echoing the union's concerns, Virdhi said, 'Such treatment to Punjab's landless dalits, rightful citizens of this state and country, is a betrayal of justice. The arrests are a shameful violation of constitutional rights.'
Virdhi demanded the immediate release of all detainees, an independent inquiry into the arrests, and transparent engagement with grassroots labour organisations like the ZPSC.
'These people are not outsiders,' Virdhi wrote. 'The law (1972 ACT) promises them access to surplus land, yet five decades after the passage of land reform laws, the land remains out of their reach. These laws remain only on paper, and repression replaces rightful implementation.'
He said, 'The demand for land is not a plea for charity, but a constitutional right. Landless people are equal citizens of India. They have every right to a home, a livelihood, and a future.'
(With inputs from ENS Jalandhar)
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