Other States - Rajasthan   

Graveyard land dispute settled

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: The Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) has agreed to allot four-and-a-half bigha land at Kho Nagorian village for a graveyard following violent clashes on Monday over the JDA's move to get its possession in order to reserve it for an educational institution. Nearly 50 persons were injured in the clash with police.

The JDA handed over the land, comprising khasra no. 147 and its adjoining piece, to the villagers on Wednesday in compliance with an accord reached between the Jaipur Collector, Rajeshwar Singh, and representatives of various organisations here on Tuesday. The meeting was convened after a massive demonstration against the police lathicharge.

A team of JDA and district administration officials went to Kho Nagorian, on the outskirts of Jaipur, on Wednesday morning and measured the stretch of land while handing it over to the village elders. The formalities relating to allotment will be completed later.

The villagers, activists and representatives of civil rights organisations, while welcoming the JDA's decision to earmark the land for burial ground, reiterated their demand for stringent action against police officials responsible for "unprovoked'' lathicharge and withdrawal of criminal cases slapped on those resisting the JDA's move.

The genesis of the dispute between the JDA and local villagers lies in the use of the patch of land, which formed the village grazing ground, as a community land since long. Part of it has two graves, while the other portion is occupied by a community school, called Bandhyali School, run by a voluntary organisation.

The JDA recently declared the land to be reserved for allotment to a commercial outfit to start a private university. The village community went to the Rajasthan High Court claiming that one part of the land in question was an old burial ground and should be allotted for that purpose to the community. However, they lost the case in the High Court.

The JDA and district administration started negotiating with the community to settle for three bighas of land for the graveyard that could include both the graves. The community was demanding six bighas. The JDA struck on Monday without any warning that negotiations had ended.

The Bandhyali School too faces the threat of demolition following the JDA's decision to reserve the land for the private institution. Rohit Dhankar, secretary of Digantar which runs the school, said here that there was a serious concern in the village about resources of poor community going into the hands of the rich and powerful.

Mr. Dhankar, who was also injured in police lathicharge, said the policemen had no business to enter houses and beat up innocent people even if the community did not have legal right to the stretch of land after the High Court verdict.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Court boycott spreads to various districts
Centralised kitchen inaugurated
Graveyard land dispute settled

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu