Over last two weeks landless are waging struggles for the land in Sone river- Kaimur Terai in Rohtas district of Bihar. This has broken silence of past years in the struggles of rural poor in this belt. Police and administration had been unleashing a reign of repression over the people under the pretext of combating extremism. But with the rise of the struggle of rural poor under the banner of AIKMS, administration is shaken. AIKMS is well known for waging struggles of poor peasants and agricultural labourers. Facing the repression, AIKMS started organizing the peasants and agricultural labourers on their just demands. In this area, the condition of tribals, dalits and backward classes who constitute bulk of rural poor is very bad. Nitish Govt.’s announcement of giving 3 dismil land to landless without houses has not been implemented. Nor has the ceiling surplus, benami, bhoodan, cachar or Bihar govt. land has been distributed among landless. Even provisions of Forest Rights Act 2006 have not been implemented and rights of tribals over their land and forest produce have not been recognized. On the other hand, under Nitish Govt. attacks of nexus of landlords-police-forest officials against tribals, dalits and backwards have increased resulting in growing disaffection among them.
On June 27, forest officials reached in Nawadih village under Nauhatta police station for plantation over 40 acres of land under cultivation of tribals, dalits and backwards calling it forest land. Poor people belonging to these sections who were cultivating this land, stopped from plantation. It resulted in skirmish between the two in which a youth Chandan Kumar was injured. The angry villages forced team of forest officials to flee.
Another incident took place on July 1, 2020 in tribal majority village Chafla under Nauhatta police station. Here 58 families of Oraon tribals resisted to protect 60 acre land under their possession. A proposal to distribute this 60 acre land among these 58 families has been sent by Gram Sabha to District Welfare Officer. But forest officials are openly violating provisions of FRA, 2006. JD(U)-BJP Govt. is directing this open violation.
On 7th July 2020, hundreds of landless villagers of village Bhadara and Daranagar occupied 55 acre 47 dismil Bihar govt. land under illegal occupation of landlords of village Bhadara under Nauhatta police station in Sone-Kaimur terai. Nearly 800 people from the area were present on the occasion under the leadership of Dist. Secretary of AIKMS, Com. Ayodhya Ram and other leaders of AIKMS- Coms. Surendra Singh, Ravi Thakur, Imtiaz and Budhan Ram. On the call of landlords, Nauhatta police incharge reached the site with a big police force but seeing the number of people, left the place after talking to AIKMS leaders.
Landlords of Bhadara like Ramvilas Singh have been claiming this 55 acre 47 dismil land but they cannot have any legal claim over it and the land is fit for distribution among landless. For last three years, AIKMS has been raising issue of this land before Mandal chief and higher officials. When officials turned deaf, landless were forced to occupy this land.
In Sone-Kaimur terai, thousands of acres of land is under the illegal occupation of landlords. In some cases, landlords have got fake papers of their ownership prepared. AIKMS has decided on free such lands from the occupation of landlords. Land struggle in Bhadara on July 7 has lifted the fear of police-landlord terror and has given ignited hopes among landless poor peasants.
