Panchayati land auction sparks unrest in Patiala village
During the protest, a minor clash also erupted between two groups from the village, which included Dalits and the farmers currently cultivating the panchayati land.
Secretary, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), Patiala, Balraj Joshi explained that the village possesses a total of 603 acres of panchayati land. This land has been under cultivation by the farmers for several decades. However, the district administration now intends to allocate this land to the members of the SC community living in the village.
Joshi said those who had been tilling the land were opposed to this move, leading to a petition being filed in the Punjab and Haryana high court.
According to Balraj: "The high court has stayed over 450 acres of this panchayati land, but more than 80 acres of agricultural land did not receive a stay due to technical issues experienced during the filing of the petition. The administration has now attempted to auction this land with the aim of distributing it to the SC community members and subsequently to corporate houses."
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BDPO Sukhwinder Singh Tiwana said: "The auction of nearly 98 acres of panchayati land was being held when some villagers along with farmer union members started to oppose the move. Out of 603 acres, 98 acres land was not under stay of the high court. We wanted to auction these 98 acres of which 1/3rd share was supposed to be given to the SC community members in the village as per law. Those who have illegally occupied the panchayati land are opposing this auction.
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