UP: Dalit farmer alleges 1.25 acres of sugarcane crop destroyed by spraying chemicals on it

Pilibhit— Reports of mental, physical, and economic exploitation of Dalits in Uttar Pradesh are increasingly coming to the fore. One such news has come to light from the Hazara police station in Puranpur tehsil of Pilibhit district. According to the complaint letter submitted by the farmer to the police station, her 1.25-acre sugarcane crop was destroyed after chemical spraying instigated by Rajkumar Singh.

When the farmer protested, she was subjected to casteist abuses and threatened that if she was seen again in the field, she would be killed. The victim in the case made a written complaint at the Hazara police station on May 25. Whereupon, the police station in-charge has claimed that the land is part of the village community land and the Lekhpal [village accounting officer] has also given a report on it.

What is the whole matter about?

According to the written complaint submitted to the police station, 1.25 acres of cultivable land in ​​Siddhnagar village in the Hazara area of ​​PilibhitPuranpur tehsil has been with Dalit farmer Samitri Devi since 1975. Older generations of the farmer's family have been cultivating this land since 1975. Samitri Devi is originally from Bhan Puri Khajuria village of Palia Kalan Tehsil in Lakhimpur Kheri. She had been cultivating sugarcane on this land for the last several years. She has alleged that Rajkumar Singh wants to exert his power over the land.

According to the written complaint given by Savitri Devi to the Hazara police station, a sugarcane crop was growing on the 1.25 acres of land in Siddhnagar village. The farmer had spent thousands of rupees to get this sugarcane crop ready. On May 24, Rajkumar Singh, a resident of the same village, destroyed this sugarcane crop by spraying chemicals over it. When the farmer came to know about this, she protested. The farmer has alleged that Rajkumar Singh then abused her with casteist slurs. The farmer also alleged that she was threatened with death if she was seen again in the field. With this background, the farmer made a written complaint to the Hazara police station on May 25. The police official incharge of the Hazara police station has said in this matter, "The Lekhpal has prepared a report on this matter. The land belongs to the village community. It is proposed to hold a mandi [market] and have a tank there. No one has a right to this land."

यहां हिन्दी में भी पढ़ें: यूपी: दलित किसान की 1.25 एकड़ गन्ने की फसल पर केमिकल डालकर जलाने का आरोप

[Story Translated By Lotika Singha]