17-05-2025
Farm forum halts land demarcation exercise again in Bathinda village; constable dies on way to site
Bathinda: A renewed protest by BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) on Friday once again disrupted a govt-led land consolidation exercise in Bathinda's Jeond village amid an ongoing dispute between original landowners and cultivators, even as a woman constable lost her life in a road accident on her way to the site.
Constable Ramandeep Kaur, posted at the Rampura Phul DSP office and a resident of Mandi Kalan village, was riding her scooter toward Jeond when she was struck by a vehicle near Rampura. Police arrested the vehicle's driver. Senior superintendent of police Amneet Kondal clarified that the constable had not reached the protest site at the time of the accident and her death was not directly linked to the protest activity.
At the same time, the district administration's effort to demarcate approximately 2,151 acres of village land — aimed at identifying and recording rightful ownership — was stalled by protesting farmers. The protesters, led by BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), demand ownership rights for mujaras (
tenant cultivators
), who claim to have tilled the land for over a century.
The land dispute in Jeond has roots in the early 1950s under the Ala Malik-Adna Malik Act, which entitles original landlords to claim a one-third share — in this case, approximately 717 acres.
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However, tenant cultivators argue they have an established right due to uninterrupted cultivation over the past 107 years.
The Punjab and Haryana high court, in an order dated Jan 8, 2025, directed the completion of revenue records and the initiation of the consolidation process by Jan 30. Despite this legal backing, multiple attempts by the administration to carry out the demarcation have faced resistance.
The latest attempt included plans to use drone technology for preparing murabbas (land blocks of 25 acres), followed by precise parceling based on the number of claimants.
Anticipating opposition, the administration was accompanied by a police contingent during the exercise.
BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) leaders Jhanda Singh Jethuike and Shingara Singh Mann reiterated their stand, expressing solidarity with the tillers and citing historical movements like the Pepsu Mujara Lehar of the 1930s–40s, which aimed to secure ownership rights for tenant farmers.
Bathinda deputy commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray acknowledged repeated meetings with farmers and stressed the administration's responsibility to follow court orders.
"Despite our efforts, resistance from the cultivators is hampering progress," he said.
BOX
Jethuke vs ADC on court orders
BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) vice-president Khanda Singh Jethuke engaged in a heated exchange with Bathinda ADC Poonam Singh over consolidation demarcation at Jeond village. As the ADC stated that the administration is acting according to the court orders, Jethuke became furious. He argued that the "administration only recognises court orders that are against the people, not those in favour of them". He even stated that CM Bhagwant Mann was staging sit-ins against the court orders.
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