Punjab Dalit land rights leader arrested in Delhi; labour groups slam ‘double standards’

“Malaud was arrested from Delhi’s Nizamuddin railway station on Tuesday morning by the Special Security Branch of the Punjab Police while he was returning to Punjab after attending a programme of Ambedkar Mission held in Maharashtra,” Tarsem Peter, president of Pendu Mazdoor Union, told The Indian Express.

Following his arrest, a large delegation of ZPSC members, farmer union members and democratic organisations met Sartaj Singh Chahal, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Sangrur, to lodge a protest and demand his immediate release. Later, the delegation held a protest march from the SSP office to the district administrative complex, raising slogans against the Punjab government and the police administration.

Malaud’s wife, Aman Deol, who is the president of the Punjab wing of the Istri Jagrti Manch, was a part of the delegation that met the Sangrur SSP.

Kirti Kisan Union (KKU) district president Jarnail Singh Jahangir, KKU youth leader Bhupinder Singh Longowal and ZPSC zonal secretary Gurvinder Singh Baudan said that Malaud was arrested in relation to multiple old cases registered in Sangrur, including a key case from June 2014 related to Balad Kalan village. “That agitation, led by ZPSC, was the first major movement demanding Dalits’ legal right to one-third share of panchayat land,” the KKU said.

The 2014 Balad Kalan agitation

During the 2014 Balad Kalan agitation, Dalit families alleged that landlords floated “dummy candidates” during panchayat land auctions to illegally get the land for agricultural purposes, which was otherwise reserved for Dalits, thereby depriving landless Dalit families of their lawful right to bid.

The protest witnessed a police lathi-charge and injuries to protesters and police officials, resulting in the arrest of several Dalit leaders under serious charges, including attempt to murder.

“Interestingly, then Aam Aadmi Party Dalit leader Harpal Singh Cheema had supported ZPSC members at that time by sitting in the dharnas. Now, the same leader is the finance minister of Punjab, and is mum over the arrest,” said Peter.

Cheema hails from the Dirba constituency in Sangrur. Though Malaud was ZPSC president at the time, he was not arrested then. The agitation later became a catalyst for similar Dalit land rights movements across several districts of Punjab.

“If the police can revive an 11-year-old Balad Kalan case now, there is a real fear that more cases could be slapped on Malaud to keep him behind bars,” Peter said.

An agitation in May

Another case cited by the police relates to an agitation planned on May 20 this year at Bir Eswan village in Sangrur district, where the ZPSC had called for a struggle to claim rights over 927 acres of land belonging to the erstwhile Jind Riyasat. After the death of the last titular ruler of Jind Riyasat, Satbir Singh, in August 2023, ZPSC launched a campaign demanding that the land be distributed among landless Dalit families, citing provisions of the Land Ceiling Act, which prohibits ownership of land beyond 17 acres.

On May 20, more than 400 ZPSC members were detained and nearly 300 jailed while attempting to reach Bir Eswan. They were later released in phases. Malaud was not present during the agitation, but police stated that he had earlier given the call for the protest. He has now been arrested in that case as well.

Leaders warn of protests

The timing of the arrest has also come under severe criticism. Bhupinder Singh Longowal of Kirti Kisan Union said that most members of ZPSC are MGNREGA workers. “On one hand, the AAP government is projecting itself as a protector of workers by calling a special Assembly session on MGNREGA, and on the other hand, it arrests a prominent labour leader of Dalits’ organisation on the same day. This exposes the government’s double standards,” he said.

Leaders warned of intensified agitation if Malaud is not released immediately. Peter announced that effigies of the Punjab government will be burnt across villages in the state on Wednesday to protest what he termed the government’s “anti-labour and anti-Dalit” stance. Several farmer bodies, including Samyukta Kisan Morcha, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), along with Democratic Teachers’ Front, Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Punjab Students’ Union and other organisations, have extended support to ZPSC and announced plans for a joint statewide agitation in the coming days.

Those who were part of the delegation in Sangrur included Manjinder Singh Ghabdan (BKU Rajewal), Lakhbir Singh Longowal (Revolutionary Rural Labour Union), Vikram Dev and Meghraj (Democratic Teachers’ Front), Karamjit Singh (BKU Ekta Ugrahan), Harmel Singh Mehrok (All India Kisan Federation), Aman Deol (Istri Jagrati Manch), Sukhdeep Hathan and Ramveer Singh (Punjab Students’ Union), Jugraj Singh Tallewal (Dalit and Labour Liberation Front), Navjit Singh (All India Youth Sabha), Amrit Singh Gosla (Naujawan Bharat Sabha), Sukhdev Singh Barnala (Revolutionary Kisan Union), and several other labour, farmer and democratic activists.