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 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.

Whither Jeffrey Sachs-supported research project which 'created' Gujarat model of development for Modi?

Even as Donald Trump was swearing-in as US President, a friend forwarded to me a YouTube video in which veteran world renowned economist Prof Jeffrey Sachs participated and sought an answer as to why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "afraid to fly" despite being invited to Donald Trump's swearing in ceremony. This took my memory to 2003, when I -- as representative of the Times of India -- had a short tet-a-tat along with a couple of other reporters with Sachs in the chief minister's office in Gandhinagar.

Busy taking books to the needy, this rationalist exposes miracles in a superstition-infested Gujarat society

I knew his name as a campaigner against the sheer wastage of the large amounts of ghee brought by devotees from across India for a major religious ceremony conducted every year in Rupal village, near Gandhinagar, the Gujarat capital, on the ninth day of Navratri. I had seen him at several places during my visits to different NGO meetings as well as some media conferences.

No to free thought? How Gujarat's private universities are cowing down their students

"Don't protest"—that's the message private universities across Gujarat seem to be conveying to their students. A senior professor told me that students at the university where he teaches are required to sign an undertaking promising not to engage in protests. "They simply sign the undertaking and hand it over to the university authorities," he said.

'Potentially lethal, carcinogenic': Global NGO questions India refusing to ban white asbestos

Associated with the Fight Inequality Alliance, a global movement that began in 2016 to "counter the concentration of power and wealth among a small elite", claiming to have members in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, the Philippines, and Denmark, the advocacy group Confront Power appears all set to intensify its campaign against India as "the world’s largest asbestos importer".

To be or not to be Sattvik: Different communities' differing notions of purity and fasting

This is a continuation of my last blog on Sattvik food. When talking about Sattvik, there is a tendency to overlook what it may mean to different sections of people around the world. First, let me redefine Sattvik: it means having a "serene, balanced, and harmonious mind or attitude." Derived from the Sanskrit word sattva, it variously means "pure, essence, nature, vital, energy, clean, conscious, strong, courage, true, honest, and wise." How do people achieve this so-called purity? Among Gujarati Hindus, especially those from the so-called upper castes who are vegetarians, one common way is fasting. On fasting days, such as agiyarash —the 11th day of the lunar cycle in the Vedic calendar—my close relatives fast but consume milk, fruit juices, mangoes, grapes, bananas, almonds, pistachios, and potato-based foods, including fried items. Another significant fasting period is adhik maas. During this time, many of my relatives "fast" by eating only a single me...

Sattvik Food Festival: Shouldn't one question notion of purity, cultural exclusion in food choices?

Recently, I visited the Sattvik Food Festival, an annual event in Ahmedabad organized by Anil Gupta, professor emeritus at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A). I have known Prof. Gupta since 1993, when I sought an appointment to meet him a few months after joining The Times of India in Ahmedabad—one reason why I have always been interested in the activities he is involved in.

World Bank approved $800 for Amravati despite negative internal view, court, NGO objections: CFA

Despite over 170 representatives by civil society organisations, hailing from 17 countries, all of them written to the World Bank’s executive directors calling upon the top banker to defer its approval, even as seeking further detailed studies, the Bank’s board of directors has approved $800 million for the Amaravati Capital City project.

Shyam Benegal's Mathan a propaganda film that supported 'system'? No way

A few days ago, I watched Manthan, a Shyam Benegal movie released in 1976. If I remember correctly, the first time I saw this movie was with Safdar Hashmi, one of the rare young theater icons who was brutally murdered in January 1989. Back then, having completed an M.A. in English Literature from Delhi University in 1975, we would often move around together.

Search This Blog