BSF forcibly acquiring Dalit, Adivasi land for border fencing: 'Acquisition law violated'

Counterview Desk
In a representation to the chairman, National Human Rights Commission, senior activist Kirity Roy, secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has complained that the land of Tribals and Dalits is being forcibly grabbed by public servants at Sutia village, Bongaon block, North 24 Parganas district.
He said, the Border Security Force (BSF) is constructing a border fence in the village area, for which the security agency is "forcibly taking possession of the land of the villagers."
Asserting that the aggrieved villagers have lodged their complaint but there is no response from the local police, Roy said, this BSF move is violation of the acquisition procedures under to the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and 2013, as also Article 300A of the Indian Constitution which states that every Indian citizen is entitled to enjoy their right to property.

Text:

This letter is for your urgent attention to the unlawful land seizure at Sutia village of Gram Panchayat Tangra Colony under Block and Police Station of Bongaon in 24 Parganas (North) District, West Bengal.
The BSF is constructing a border fence in the village area, for which the security agency is forcibly taking possession of the lands of the villagers. They are grabbing the land at night, without informing the actual owners of it. The villagers are in protest against the unlawful activity of the BSF and are in demand that they should construct the proposed border fence along the border. If the construction takes place, then the village market, temples, and burning ghats will be enclosed by the border fence, which will be inaccessible to the villagers. The villagers sensed a conspiracy by the panchayat Pradhan (president), CPWD, and the BSF, to construct the border fence and a road.
The actions by the Border Security Force at Sutia village are not only challenging their life and livelihood but also violating 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India and Article 12 and Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The denial to access to the needs of their proper livelihood practices is against Articles 6 (Right to Work), 7 (Right to enjoyment of just and favorable condition of work), 9 (Right to Social Security), and 11 (Right to Adequate Standard of living) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). In all these international instruments, the Government of India is a party and has taken a pledge to adhere with.
The aggrieved villagers already lodged their complaints on the act by the BSF which are in the following:
1. Gram Panchayat Pradhan Dtd. 19 October 2022
2. BDO. Bangaon. Dtd. 16 October 2022
3. BL&LRO. Bongaon. Dtd. 17 October 2022
4. SDO. Bongaon. Dtd. 17 October 2022
5. Police Station. Bongaon. Dtd. 17 October 2022
The incident violates land acquisition procedures according to the Land Acquisition Act, of 1894 and of 2013, and also Article 300A of the Indian Constitution which states that every Indian citizen is entitled to enjoy their right to property. The arbitrary actions of the BSF to construct a border fence on the lands owned by villagers is nothing but a systematic enforcement of acquisitions of lands owned by the respective Indian citizen.
The inaction of the concerned government line departments, even after lodging the complaint by the victims, also violates Goal number 16 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which speaks of access to justice for all.
I request your urgent intervention in this case by fulfilling the following demands of the villagers:

The Border Security Force should construct the fence at the international border and not inside the village.
All the encroachments done by the BSF, should be immediately revoked and guilty personnel be booked.
BSF should be instructed to follow constitutional and legal mandates.
Government of India and the Government of West Bengal should abide by the Chapter III of the Indian Constitution where the fundamental rights of Indian citizenry are enshrined.
BSF should not restrict the life and livelihood of the villagers.
For security reasons the BSF should acquire land only after legal formalities.

I hope this letter clarifies the issue forced upon the villagers and which entails urgent resolution for their livelihood. Please allow me to further provide any information which you may require in resolving the case.

Comments

The silencing of conscience: Ideological attacks on India’s judiciary and free thought

By Sunil Kumar* “Volunteers will pick up sticks to remove every obstacle that comes in the way of Sanatan and saints’ work.” — RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat (November 6, 2024, Chitrakoot) Eleven months later, on October 6, 2025, a man who threw a shoe inside the Supreme Court shouted, “India will not tolerate insults to Sanatan.” This incident was not an isolated act but a continuation of a pattern seen over the past decade—attacks on intellectuals, writers, activists, and journalists, sometimes in the name of institutions, sometimes by individual actors or organizations.

'Violation of Apex Court order': Delhi authorities blamed for dog-bite incidents at JLN Stadium

By A Representative People for Animals (PFA), led by Ms. Ambika Shukla, has held the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) responsible for the recent dog-bite incidents at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, accusing it of violating Supreme Court directions regarding community dogs. The organisation’s on-ground fact-finding mission met stadium authorities and the two affected coaches to verify details surrounding the incidents, both of which occurred on October 3.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Citizens’ group to recall Justice Chagla’s alarm as India faces ‘undeclared' Emergency

By A Representative In a move likely to raise eyebrows among the powers-that-be, a voluntary organisation founded during the “dark days” of the Indira Gandhi -imposed Emergency has announced that it will hold a public conference in Ahmedabad to highlight what its office-bearers call today’s “undeclared Emergency.”

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

From seed to soil: How transnational control is endangering food sovereignty

By Bharat Dogra In recent decades, the world has witnessed a steady erosion of plant diversity in many countries, particularly those in the Global South that were once richly endowed with natural plant wealth. Much of this diversity has been removed from its original ecological and cultural contexts and transferred into gene banks concentrated in developed nations. While conservation of genetic resources is important, the problem arises when access to these collections becomes unequal, particularly when they fall under the control of transnational corporations.

Counterview

Search This Blog