Bhopal- In Garethyadangi village, nestled in Madhya Pradesh's Berasia tehsil, a Dalit farmer family has tragically lost 28 acres of prime agricultural land to an auction. This land, the lifeblood of their livelihood, has now slipped from their grasp.

Shantibai Meher, a member of the devastated family, tearfully recounted their plight to The Mooknayak. "For generations, we’ve cultivated this land. It’s our home, where 17 of our family members live. But due to the collusion of bank officials, we have been stripped of everything."

Her voice quivered with helplessness as she described how her son, Narmada Prasad, pleaded with the bank, offering to pay the outstanding amount. Yet, their efforts were in vain, and the land was seized anyway. "Now, we don’t even have a roof over our heads," Shantibai lamented. "We have lived on this land, and we will die on it, but the bank officials conspired to auction off all 28 acres, which had sustained our entire family for generations."

Garethyadangi village, located approximately 45 kilometers from Bhopal in the Berasia region, is home to a Dalit family whose 28 acres of land were recently auctioned off. In 2008, the family had taken two loans from the State Bank of India’s Berasia branch—₹4.86 lakh for a tractor and ₹5 lakh under the Kisan Credit Card scheme for farming. Despite having repaid half of the loan, the family, due to personal difficulties, missed a few installments. This prompted the bank to classify their account as a Non-Performing Asset (NPA), leading to the auction of their land as a means to recover the debt.

The family alleges that their land, worth crores, was sold far below the market value. Land in the region currently fetches around ₹20 to ₹25 lakh per acre, yet the bank auctioned off their 28 acres at a fraction of its worth, raising serious concerns of malfeasance. Narmada Prasad, a family member, expressed his frustration while speaking to *The Mooknayak*: "We filed complaints with both the bank and government, but no one paid attention. Even after paying half of the loan, our land was seized. It feels like a conspiracy between bank officials, the auctioning authority, and the buyers to snatch our land, worth crores, at a throwaway price. We will fight for justice until our last breath."

Questions raised on the transparency of the auction

Former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh has also written to the government and the State Scheduled Castes Commission, raising serious questions about the transparency of the auction process. Singh alleges that the auction notice was published in low-circulation newspapers, while the major newspapers in Bhopal were not given any information. He emphasized that this entire matter is worthy of a thorough investigation, as it seems that the bank officials conspired to sell the land of a Dalit farmer family for a meager price.

Singh also criticized the government for not providing protection to the Dalit family. He pointed out that there are several schemes for the protection and rehabilitation of Scheduled Castes, but this family did not receive any support. Singh indicated that both the state and central governments have schemes for loan waivers or special provisions for SC families, but in this case, instead of offering protection, the land was auctioned.

SC commission demands report

The State Scheduled Castes Commission has taken the matter seriously and has written to the state government, requesting an investigation and a prompt report. The commission has called for an examination of the transparency of the auction process and the role of the bank officials involved. Furthermore, it stressed the importance of ensuring that the rights of the Scheduled Caste families are not violated.

Shantibai demands that the auction of their land be canceled and that they be given the opportunity to repay the remaining loan amount, including penalties. She insists that the land is the family’s only source of income, and selling it will severely affect them. Despite multiple attempts by The Mooknayak to contact Ashish Tiwari, the manager of the SBI branch in Berasia, he could not be reached for a response.

Constitutional perspective

Violation of Article 19(5): Article 19(5) of the Constitution provides provisions for the protection of land rights of Scheduled Castes. However, these rights are being violated as the lands of Scheduled Castes are being taken away through illegal means, and rehabilitation schemes are being neglected. This is a clear violation of constitutional provisions, putting the economic security and land rights of marginalized and oppressed communities at risk.

This case is not just about the rights of a Scheduled Caste farmer family, but also raises serious questions about the transparency of the banking system and the administration.