Skip to main content

'Govt indifference? Gujarat's Sikh farmers 'attacked' in Kutch, political turn in Punjab

Sikh farmers from Loria village
By Our Representative
A small town in Kutch district, Loria, is once again in news more than a year after the local Sikhs settlers were attacked by powerful persons in the region in October 2013. Sikh farmers from the village have complained to their brethren in Bhatinda district in Punjab that political activists associated the ruling BJP of district Bhuj have “attacked” them. Punjab media, quoting Loria farmers, said, farmer Jagjeet Singh was “injured” though “others managed to save their lives with difficulty”. The attackers destroyed the two cars.
The attack took place, said the reports, after two farmer brothers, Jaswinder Singh and Harwinder Singh, originating from village Pitho of Bathinda district, found that a Gujarat government had ordered survey of their land in Loria. They went to see what was happening and why their land was being surveyed. When they were about to return, a local BJP leader and former sarpanch of the village “attacked them with a crowd.”
Quoting the two farmers, Angrej Singh reportedly told mediapersons in Bhatinda that “the culprits broke the rear glass of his car and also the glasses of a Maruti car.” Amandeep Singh of Kotakpura added the Bhuj Police “did not provide them security despite a written request.” The survey was allegedly being carried out with the intention of “acquiring” their agriculture land.
A Bhatinda datelined story said, “According to collected information, the Gujarat government has allotted the work of computerization of agriculture land to a private firm”, adding, “It is noteworthy that Sikh farmers and other minorities are being targeted in Gujarat from the day the BJP under leadership of Narendra Modi started ruling Gujarat.”
Yet another report blamed the land mafia in Kutch desert for trying to “scare” and “take the land over from the Sikh farmers settled there”, adding “The local farmers have said the police and government officials are not providing them any security and they feel insecure.”
A month ago, according to reports, people in the village had stopped the agency officials from demarcating land belonging to the Sikh farmers. The district revenue authorities and the police again sent the agency officials to accomplish demarcation, which became the reason for the protest by Sikh farmers, and violent retaliation.
Sikh farmers from the village say, after 440 acres of land were allotted to Sikhs 300 acres have already been taken over by the government and small chunks of land are being fraudulently registered on names of local people.
Meanwhile, the matter is already taking a political turn in Punjab, with former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal saying it was “unfortunate and shameful on the part of Modi government at centre and BJP government in Gujarat for failing to tackle the situation regarding frequent attack being carried on Sikh farmers in villages in and around Bhuj region.”
“The farmers settled in the Bhuj region for more than six decades had been living under constant fear from land mafia which seems to have patronage from BJP in Gujarat. Sikh farmers have made repeated requests to state government and Modi government at centre to ensure security for them adding that it has fallen on deaf ears”, she said.
In October 2013, four Sikh farmers were injured by 30 armed men in Loria village, situated 15 km from Bhuj, district headquarters of Kutch district. In a complaint with the police, the Sikhs named the then Anjar BJP legislator Vasanbhai Ahir as the perpetrator. "On October 3, a group from Loria questioned our ownership of the land. We showed them the papers, and after satisfying them, started sowing rindi (oil seeds)," media reports quoted Amandeep Singh as saying.”

Comments

Vin1992 said…
they are not local people they are rich people settled there,shashtri gave them land over which they had no right,will Punjab give gujarati their own land for ownership

TRENDING

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Delhi HC rules in favour of retired Air Force officer 'overcharged' for Covid treatment

By Rosamma Thomas*  In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates. 

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Religious divide 'kept alive' with low intensity communalism in Gujarat's cultural capital

By Rajiv Shah  A fact-finding report, prepared by the Mumbai-based non-profit, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), has cited the Vadodara Ram Navami violence of March 30 as yet another example of how, after the BJP consolidating its hold on political power in Gujarat post-2002 riots and at the Centre in 2014, the nature of communal riots has changed, underlining, as opposed to high-intensity violence earlier, now riots have become “more sub-radar and at a smaller scale, more localized”.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Urgency for next pandemic? But Mr Health Secretary, you're barking up wrong tree

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  The Union Health Secretary, Mr Rajesh Bhushan addressing the Health Working Group of G20 India, at Hyderabad on 05 June 2023, cautioned that the next pandemic would not wait for us to make global treaties and called on countries to work together.

76% Odisha govt school infrastructure in dilapidated state, 'undermine' RTE norms

By Our Representative  As many as 75.86% (5,421) elementary schools in Odisha do not possess a playground, depriving students of physical activity opportunities. Also, 75.68% (5,408) of schools require minor or major repairing, undermining the norms and standards stipulated in the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

Caste, impact on Ayodhya area 'halting' BJP rulers to act against Brij Bhushan Singh

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Finally, the #WrestlersProtest has got international attention. The United World Wrestling (UWW),  condemning the treatment and detention of wrestlers and expressing its disappointment over the lack of results of the investigations against Brij Bhushan Singh, accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers, has urged the "relevant authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation."

Why continued obsession with adding more 'water guzzling' coal, nuclear power plants?

By Shankar Sharma*  The true concerns over water inefficiency in coal power plants have been known and have been highlighted many times in the past. A highly relevant study report by Prayas Energy Group had highlighted this fast looming threat to our society many years ago. But our authorities have been acting as though there can be no issue with water supply, and that additional coal power plants can be added indefinitely; even without any true relevance to climate change.