Land auction put off on Dalits’ demand

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, November 1

To highlight the importance of reserved land from village common land in the lives of Dalits, Punjabi movie “Chamm” (Skin) was screened at Jhaloor village last night. The village is infamous for clashes between Dalits and upper-caste people over the possession of reserved land.

The administration today postponed the proposed auction of November 2 of reserved land after Dalits demanded that it should be organised after November 10.

“The administration had fixed November 2 to conduct auction of all 50 acres of the village common land. But these days all Dalits are working as labourers in various grain markets and they do not have money also to bid to take 17 acres of reserved land, out of the total 50 acres, on lease. The administration must organise it after November 10. We have informed the authorities about it,” Mukesh Malaud, district president of the Zameen Prapati Sangharsh Committee, said.

The “Chamm” movie, which is about the life of Dalits, their financial woes and struggle to get their one-third share in the village common land , was screened at Dalit Dharmshala of Jhaloor village. Dalits also organised a rally in the village to demand that the auction of the reserved land be organised after November 10.

Under the banner of the Jhaloor Zabar Virodhi Action Committee, members of six organisations — Zameen Prapati Sangharsh committee (ZPSC), BKU Ugraha, BKU Krantikari, Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, Krantikar Pendu Mazdoor Union and Kirti Kisan Union — have been protesting to get land on lease for only those Dalits who would themselves cultivate it and not hand it over to upper caste people.

An old Dalit of the village, Gurdev Kaur, died in November 2016 after suffering injuries during a clash on October 5 between upper-caste members and Dalits at Jhaloor over the possession of reserved land from the village common land.

“We have cancelled the November-2 auction of the reserved land for Dalits and will fix a date for it after November 10 as per the demand of Dalits. Tomorrow we will conduct the auction of only general-category land,” said Sukhpal Sidhu, District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO), Sangrur.