Dalits of a village in Ahmedabad district face social boycott for demanding physical possession of plot they own

Dalits with activist Kirit Rathod

In yet another glaring instance of social boycott in Gujarat, around 30 Dalits – men, women and children – currently living in makeshift shanties in Gitapur village in Detroj taluka of Ahmedabad district, are being denied all basic facilities, including water, electricity or needs of daily use in the village by members of the dominant caste, Patels. Situated just about 80 km from Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s business capital, Gitapur Dalits are facing the predicament because they allegedly dared demand physical possession of the plots of land they were entitled to for the last over two years now.
A representation to district collector, Ahmedabad, Roopwant Singh, led by NGOs Navsarjan Trust and Manav Adhikar Simiti, Ahmedabad, has said it all began after the village panchayat of Bhagapura, adjacent to Gitapur, passed a resolution on April 2, 2012, allocating a plot of land, Survey No 244, to these Dalits in order to build their own houses under one of the rural housing plot-cum-schemes. While the Dalits then lived in Bhagapura, the plot of land they were offered was on its border, inside the Gitapura village area, in accordance with a government order.
“Finding that Gitapur village panchayat was not ready to part with the piece of land to the Dalits, and its high caste Patels were seeking to use force to ensure that the Dalits do not live there, on August 25, 2013, the Dalits began their protest. They first sat on dharna outside the Detroj taluka office to demand land”, the representation said, adding, “They stopped the dharna following a written assurance from the taluka development officer and other officials. They were even formally given the plot, even the layout plan of the houses was approved.”
“Despite this”, the representation said, “The Dalits were physically not handed over the land. This led them to frequently find out what was happening. They kept asking the village panchayat to hand over the plot. Their uent pleas made Patels angry. On December 14, 2013, they physically attacked one of the Dalits, Narshibhai Maganbhai Parmar, who was seriously injured. Their huts were set on fire. Ever since then, the Dalits are living in a state of fear. Women are force to walk two kilometers to fetch a pail of water. Hurdles are created towards children going to school.”
The representation was made under the leadership of the Navsarjan Trust's senior activist Kirit Rathod. The demands of the representation are:

Plots be immediately handed over to the Dalits in Gitapura
Basic necessities of life, including water and power, should be immediately supplied to the place where they are living in makeshift shanties
Gutter connections should be extended to the houses immediately
Urgent efforts should be made to stop social boycott of the Dalits
Dalits should be ensured supply of goods of daily necessities
Dalits should be provided with a separate space for crematorium

Comments

A sector under siege? War and real estate: Navigating uncertainty in India's expanding market

I was a little surprised when I received an email alert from a top real estate consultant, Anarock Group , titled "Exploring War’s Effects on Indian Real Estate—When Conflict Meets Concrete," authored by its regional director and head of research, Dr. Prashant Thakur. I had thought that the business would wholeheartedly support what is considered a strong response to the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor.

Ahmedabad's civic chaos: Drainage woes, waterlogging, and the illusion of Olympic dreams

In response to my blog on overflowing gutter lines at several spots in Ahmedabad's Vejalpur, a heavily populated area, a close acquaintance informed me that it's not just the middle-class housing societies that are affected by the nuisance. Preeti Das, who lives in a posh locality in what is fashionably called the SoBo area, tells me, "Things are worse in our society, Applewood."

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Environmental concern? Global NGO leads campaign urging banks to cut ties with Odisha steel project

A decade after the withdrawal of the South Korean multinational POSCO from Odisha following large-scale protests, questions remain about whether India-based JSW Steel, which took over the project, can successfully revive the 13.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) steel plant and coal-fired power plant. POSCO initiated the project in 2005 but exited in 2017 due to sustained local opposition.

Adani Group a key player in Indo-Israel defence cooperation: Tel Aviv daily

Said to be one of the most influential Israeli dailies, "Haaretz" (literally: News of the Land) has identified the Adani Group—known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi—as one of the key Indian business houses engaged in defence cooperation with Israel. Pointing out that India supplied the Israeli military with Hermes 900 drones, the daily reported that this advanced aerial vehicle came off “the production line in a factory set up in Hyderabad, as part of the cooperation between the Israeli Elbit and India's Adani Group.”

Despite Hindutva hold claim, 18% Hindus in US don't want to be identified with Hinduism!

Scanning through news items on the Google News app on my mobile — which is what I do almost every morning — I came across a story published on India.com, which I found somewhat misleading. The headline said, "Muslim population drops significantly in THIS country as over 25% Muslims leave Islam due to…, the country is…"

Beyond Indus water treaty suspension: A 'nationalist' push despite harsh climate realities

The suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) appears to have pushed the middle classes, at least in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, Gujarat, further towards what the powers-that-be would consider—a "positive" direction. As usual, during my morning walk, I tried talking with a neighbour about what impact it would have. Ignoring what is widely considered a "security lapse," this person, who had just returned after buying milk, compared the Modi move with Trump.

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.

Search This Blog