Chandigarh, June 15, 2020 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today announced it would take up the issue of displacement of around 1,000 Sikh farmer families from four different places in Uttar Pradesh with chief minister Yogi Adityanand and would also approach Home minister Amit Shah to ensure they were not subjected to any injustice.
Announcing this in a press conference here, party senior leader and former mp Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra said SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal had formed a three member committee including himself and mps Balwinder Singh Bhundur and Naresh Gujral to take up the issue at the appropriate levels. He said the party core committee had also resolved to ensure justice to the affected Sikh families of Uttar Pradesh.
Giving details of the cases, Prof Chandumajra party Uttar Pradesh Kisan wing President Jasbir Singh Virk had brought it to the notice of the party that Sikh families were being displaced at Bijnore, Lakhimpur Kheri, Rampur and Nanakmata and that coercive action was being taken to displace them.
“The SAD expresses solidarity with the affected farmers most of whom have settled in Uttar Pradesh after being displaced during partition in 1947 and will do its utmost to ensure they are not uprooted from their lands again”.
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He said the police administration has started displacement of farmers from Champatpur in Bijnour and Rananpur in Lakhimpur Khiri. He said in both cases the farmers had uprooted jungle and cultivated barren land to make it fertile but now when it was time for them to enjoy the fruits of their labour they were being ousted from their lands.
Prof Chandumajra also disclosed that Sikh farmers from 15 villages in district Rampur of Tarai belt had purchased land from one Bikkar Shah. They got their lands registered but failed to get mutation done due to which Bikkar Shah remained owner of the land in government records.
He said that in year 1966 land ceiling act was implemented by the government which allotted this land to forest department which was strongly opposed by the farmers at that time. He said that later in 1980 during consolidation of land, names of these farmers was registered. Later the state government challenged this in High Court which sent this case for consideration to revenue department.
The former mp said the Sikhs farmers had constructed houses on the land, installed tubewell connections and even availed benefit of government schemes but were now being told to vacate it to make way for an Armoury centre.
Talking about injustice meted out with Sikhs and displacement done with them, Prof. Chanumajra said that in 1964 three thousand acre land was acquired at Gurudwara Nanak Mata near Nepal border for construction of Nanak Sagar dam and Sikh families were displaced from there.
He said that at that time these families were assured that land of the forest department will be allotted and registered in their names. He said that during 1988 floods these families shifted to higher altitudes to save their families and after the floods, the government didn’t permit them to re-shift to their lands. He said that these families are struggling to get justice since then.
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