How Gujarat Stands Out in Reclaiming Land Rights for the Marginalized: MLA Jignesh Mevani Explains

Kutch, Gujarat – After a prolonged struggle spanning 41 years, the Dalit community in Gujarat's Kutch village has finally reclaimed their rightful land. On Independence Day, August 15th, 200 acres of land in Bela and Nanda villages of Rapar Tehsil in Kutch district, were handed over to the Dalit community. The occasion was marked by the hoisting of both the blue flag and the national tricolor, symbolizing this historic victory.

Over the past eight years, the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM) has successfully freed approximately 2,500 acres of land, valued at nearly INR 600 crore, from the clutches of casteist forces in Gujarat, and restored it to the Dalits.

Jignesh Mevani, the MLA from Vadgam, has been at the forefront of the fight for Dalit rights in Gujarat. Following the Una incident, he initiated a campaign to organize the Dalit community and secure their rights.

In 2016, after the atrocities in Una, Mevani organized the "Azadi Kooch" (March for Freedom) from Mehsana to Dhanera in Banaskantha district, culminating in the reclamation of 12 acres of land for four Dalit families in Lavara village.

In an exclusive interview with The Mooknayak, Mevani explained that the objective of RDAM’s land rights movement is to secure five acres of land for every landless Dalit. He highlighted that across the country, approximately 20,000 acres of land allocated to Adivasis and Dalits have been illegally occupied, depriving these marginalized communities of their rightful inheritance.

He remarked, "No other state in the country is making such efforts to reclaim land from illegal encroachers, except Gujarat. We must not limit ourselves to fighting caste-based discrimination and securing reservations. Alongside the struggle for self-respect, the Dalit Ambedkarite movement needs to focus on economic rights and the equitable distribution of resources."

Mevani pointed out that, except for Gujarat, no other state is addressing the land rights of Dalits, Adivasis, or other marginalized families. Dalit-Ambedkarite organizations have largely confined their efforts to issues of self-respect, reservations, and employment, while the essential element of socialism as outlined in our Constitution requires the equitable distribution of resources. He stressed that the time has come to focus on economic and materialistic aspects.

Mevani explained that this is precisely why the Land Ceiling Act was implemented. Since 1950, the process of allocating land to landless SC/ST families began across the country, but in most cases, it remained limited to paperwork. Casteist feudal forces have maintained their grip on the allocated lands, leaving the Dalit and marginalized communities deprived of their rightful entitlements.

The 5-Acre Land Movement for Dalits in Gujarat

The struggle for land rights among Dalits in Gujarat is not a recent phenomenon. Like in other states, thousands of acres of land were allocated to Dalits in Gujarat, only to be unlawfully seized by dominant caste forces.

From 2009 to 2012, Jignesh Mevani meticulously gathered information on thousands of acres of land that, despite being officially allocated, remained in the illegal possession of antisocial elements. His findings led to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed between 2012 and 2016. As a result of his efforts, thousands of acres of land, worth crores of rupees, were reclaimed from feudal forces. The movement took a decisive turn following the Una incident.

The infamous Una incident, which occurred on July 11, 2016, saw a video go viral showing four Dalit youths being brutally beaten by the police for allegedly skinning a cow. The young men were stripped naked, tied to a car, and publicly flogged for hours outside the Una police station, sparking widespread outrage.

Anger within the Dalit community was already brewing due to various incidents across the state. In Rajula, for instance, a Dalit man and his non-Dalit wife were murdered, while in another village, a Dalit boy was burned alive. However, it was the Una incident that galvanized the Dalits to protest publicly, marking a historic moment of defiance in India.

A New Direction for the Movement Post-Una

In the aftermath of the Una incident, Mevani launched a campaign to organize the Dalit community and secure their rights. He organized the "Azadi Kooch" (March for Freedom) from Mehsana to Dhanera in Banaskantha district, culminating in the reclamation of 12 acres of land for four Dalit families in Lavara village. The Una Dalit Atyachar Samiti, which was initially launched on a modest budget, evolved into the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM) after the march.

Mevani and his associates have relentlessly pursued justice for Dalits through legal battles. The Una incident was a turning point in their movement, shifting the focus of RDAM to tangible issues like land ownership. They believe that land ownership is a crucial indicator of caste status, and the most direct path to equality for Dalits is to claim the land that rightfully belongs to them.

Moving beyond atrocities, RDAM has now incorporated land ownership as a key issue in their demands. Land ownership is seen as a primary marker of social standing, and securing land for landless Dalits is essential to achieving equality. The movement demands that every landless Dalit be allotted five acres of land.

Under Jignesh Mevani's leadership, RDAM is actively addressing cases where land has been allocated on paper but physical possession has not been granted. By 2017, Mevani and RDAM's efforts began to bear fruit. Mevani contested the December 2017 Assembly elections and became the MLA for the Vadgam constituency, while the RDAM team continued its land rights campaign.

One significant success was the pressure exerted on the Gujarat government to initiate the land mapping process in Sarodha village, Ahmedabad district, resulting in 220 bighas of land being handed over to 115 Dalit families.

Mevani highlighted that the campaign is ongoing, with efforts to unite various Dalit sub-castes into a formidable political force and create a shared platform for marginalized groups. Similar initiatives have also been launched in Rapar and Surendranagar. The movement has garnered substantial support and success in districts like Amreli, Bhavnagar, Surendranagar, Ahmedabad, Mehsana, and Kutch.