Punjab activist leading protest against land pooling booked in dispute over plot, alleges political vendetta

Indian Express

09-07-2025

The Jagraon police in Punjab's Ludhiana district Tuesday booked Didar Singh Malak, who is spearheading an agitation against the state government's contentious land pooling policy, in a 4-month-old complaint. The move triggered allegations of political vendetta as farmer unions intensify their opposition to the policy.
According to Malak, who has been booked for criminal intimidation and mischief, the complaint pertains to a private dispute over a pathway to a plot in Jagraon.'The complaint is more than 4 months old. I live in the village but own a plot, which I purchased long ago, in the centre of the city in a private colony. The complainant bought the adjacent plot after me. If there is any issue with the pathway, he should resolve it with the property dealer, not me,' Malak told The Indian Express.
Malak questioned the timing of the FIR, alleging that it was aimed at intimidating him into withdrawing from the ongoing agitation. 'It is no coincidence that police chose to act now, when I am leading a major protest against land pooling. We held multiple meetings in June and on July 7, organised a massive rally in Jagraon, announcing that we will not give an inch of our land to the government. On July 20, we will burn effigies of the Punjab government, and many villages are now joining us. I am being threatened to stay silent, but I will continue the agitation, come what may,' he said.
Varinder Singh, Station House Officer, Jagraon city 1, said, 'A three-member SIT was formed to inquire into the complaint and as per its report, the FIR was lodged. This has nothing to do with his land pooling agitation. It is just a coincidence that the report came just now.'
The land pooling policy, aimed at acquiring more than 40,000 acres of farmland for housing purposes, seeks to curb the proliferation of illegal colonies and halt haphazard urban growth, while ensuring that landowners remain stakeholders in the development, according to the government. Critics of the policy say that it lacks safeguards for compensation and resettlement.
Meanwhile, the farmers' opposition to the land pooling scheme is gaining momentum across Punjab. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Punjab unit announced a series of statewide protests under the banner 'Save Land, Water, and Punjab'.
'In our meeting Sunday at Kisan Bhawan in Chandigarh, we decided to launch programs to oppose this forcible land pooling,' said Harinder Singh Lakhowal, a member of the SKM's national coordination committee. He asked, 'If the scheme is voluntary, why is the government upset when farmers pass resolutions refusing to give up their land?'
SKM leaders announced a large farmers' rally on August 24 at Mullanpur Mandi, Ludhiana. Before that, a meeting will be held on July 18 in Chandigarh with various political parties to seek their stand on the issue. On July 30, tractor and flag marches are planned in villages affected by the policy.
Balbir Singh Rajewal, president of BKU (Rajewal) and SKM committee member, said, 'It was unanimously decided that the notification to forcibly acquire farmers' land under the land pooling scheme must be immediately withdrawn. Farmers and the common people will suffer devastating consequences. Even after 20 years, lands acquired under earlier pooling projects remain undeveloped — we question the Punjab government's credibility.'
The issue is now gaining political traction as well. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has already staged protests in Ludhiana and plans further protests this month, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has submitted a memorandum to the Punjab Governor, along with villagers from 34 affected villages, demanding a rollback.
As the standoff escalates, farmers say they will not back down until their lands are protected and the government withdraws what they describe as a 'forcible acquisition' policy.