Dalit landowners not permitted to cultivate their land, BSF 'illegally' deciding real owners

By Kirity Roy*

There is an urgent need to highlight a serious violation of human rights, as defined in Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India. This issue directly affects the villagers of Notun Rajapur, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ranitala Police Station in the Bhagwangola-II Block of Murshidabad district, West Bengal. Since April 7, 2024, the Border Security Force (BSF) stationed at Madan Ghat BOP, Battalion No. 149, Company, Out Post (OP) No. 1, has imposed restrictions that prevent local villagers from accessing and farming their own lands, causing significant distress and suffering within this impoverished agricultural community.

These farmers, who entirely depend on their agricultural lands for their livelihoods, have been unlawfully barred from cultivating their properties. This enforced restriction seems to be in collusion with certain individuals who, with the BSF's assistance, are attempting to seize the lands of these farmers, many of whom belong to the Scheduled Caste community. The resulting deprivation has inflicted severe economic burden and psychological trauma on the affected families.

On June 8, 2024, when the villagers attempted to reclaim their lands, they were met with threats from Arun Mondal, the husband of a local elected village committee member, along with several local thugs armed with sticks and weapons. The BSF personnel present did not intervene, further substantiating the allegations against the BSF.

On June 11, 2024, the landowners collectively submitted a written complaint to the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Bhagwangola-II Block, requesting immediate intervention and redress. Yet, despite the time that has elapsed, no actions have been taken to address their concerns or restore their rightful access to their land.

This ongoing situation violates the fundamental human rights of the farmers and infringes on their constitutional rights to livelihood and property. The actions of the BSF and these complicit individuals have caused great hardship to an already vulnerable population, stripping them of their primary means of income and sustenance.

In light of the severity of this situation, I earnestly request that you:

1. Conduct a comprehensive investigation under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, into the allegations of unlawful restriction and land seizure by the BSF and the involved parties.

2. Take immediate measures to allow the affected farmers to return to their lands and resume their agricultural activities without further hindrance.

3. Hold accountable those responsible for violating the villagers' rights and ensure justice is delivered.

4. Provide appropriate compensation and support to the affected families for the losses and suffering caused by these unlawful actions.

---

*Secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha and National Convenor Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity. This article is based on the author's representation to the Principal Secretary, Home & Hill Affairs, West Bengal. Kirity Roy

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

Subject to geological upheaval, the time to listen to the Himalayas has already passed

By Rajkumar Sinha* The people of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, who have somehow survived the onslaught of reckless development so far, are crying out in despair that within the next ten to fifteen years their very existence will vanish. If one carefully follows the news coming from these two Himalayan states these days, this painful cry does not appear exaggerated. How did these prosperous and peaceful states reach such a tragic condition? What feats of our policymakers and politicians pushed these states to the brink of destruction?

India's health workers have no legal right for their protection, regrets NGO network

Counterview Desk In a letter to Union labour and employment minister Santosh Gangwar, the civil rights group Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI), writing against the backdrop of strike by Bhabha hospital heath care workers, has insisted that they should be given “clear legal right for their protection”.

Rally in Patna: Non-farmer bodies to highlight plight of agriculture in Eastern India ahead of march to Parliament

P Sainath By A Representative Ahead of the march to Parliament on November 29-30, 2018, organized by over 210 farmer and agricultural worker organisations of the country demanding a 21-day special session of Parliament to deliberate on remedial measures for safeguarding the interest of farm, farmers and agricultural workers, a mass rally been organized for November 23, Gandhi Sangrahalaya (Gandhi Museum), Gandhi Maidan, Patna. Say the organizers, the Eastern region merits special attention, because, while crisis of farmers and agricultural workers in Western, Southern and Northern India has received some attention in the media and central legislature, the plight of those in the Eastern region of the country (Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Eastern UP) has remained on the margins. To be addressed by P Sainath, founder of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), a statement issued ahead of the rally says, the Eastern India was the most prosperous regi...

'Centre criminally negligent': SKM demands national disaster declaration in flood-hit states

By A Representative The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has urged the Centre to immediately declare the recent floods and landslides in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Haryana as a national disaster, warning that the delay in doing so has deepened the suffering of the affected population.

Counterview

Search This Blog