A day after clashes between members of Zamin Prapti Sangharsh Committee (ZPSC) and Patiala police in Mander village of Patiala district following a protest over the alleged dummy auction of farmland reserved for Dalits, members of Sanjha Mazdoor Morcha convened a meeting in Patiala on Saturday wherein they decided to burn effigies of Punjab government in villages on Sunday and Monday to mark their protest. Around 35 people were rounded up by police on Friday following the clash. While 12 were arrested, the rest were released on Friday evening including a few women. The 12 were arrested on charges of attempt to murder, creating law and order problem, and attacking a government officer on duty. They were produced in a court which sent them to judicial remand on Saturday. Mukesh Malaud, zonal president of ZPSC, said, “On Sunday, the women – who were rounded up on Friday and later released in the evening – will narrate their side of the story – how they were manhandled and how they sustained injuries in the clash.” Speaking to The Indian Express, Malaud asked, “Is it a crime to protest against dummy auction of panchayati land and against violation of Panchayati Raj Act? There are about 200 houses of Dalits in Mander, but a large chunk of land was given on lease to one family. Why? The family is a BPL card holder. So, from where did they bring Rs 21 lakh for paying the lease amount for 35 acres @ Rs 60,000 per acre?” The land has been taken on lease by father (20 acres) and son (15 acres). The ZPSC members said that no person can be given more than 10 acres of land as per Panchayati Raj Act. Tarsem Peter, president of Pendu Khet Mazdoor Union, said, “Police arrested those who were fighting for justice. We will intensify our struggle.” In 2016 also, clashes had broken out over the auction of panchayati land reserved for Dalits in Balad Kalan village of Sangrur district. At the time 10 people were arrested, but they were released unconditionally. Clashes over high rates of annual lease and dummy candidates had taken place several times in the past in Tolewal and Jhaloor villages of Sangrur district also. In Punjab there is about 1.57 lakh acres of panchayat land meant for agriculture, out of which one-third, that is, 52,000 acres is reserved for Dalits. The Panchayati Raj Department conducts annual auctions of this chunk of land in villages wherein the highest bidder is awarded the annual lease contract. The government also sets up a basic bid price. For years Dalits have been complaining that dummy candidates are fielded by landlords due to which the real Dalit families fail to get the benefit. The high bidding price is also a reason for the real deserving Dalit families to stay away from such bids.
