Fertile land was up for grabs in western Uttar Pradesh. Private developers are still acquiring it to build apartments, industries, IT institutes, and even the F1 race track. Farmers, who have known no profession other than agriculture, have nowhere to go. The landless are left with neither farms to work on nor money.
Land in the western Uttar Pradesh belt is up for grabs for private developers. The acquisitions have increased remarkably since December 2007. Besides the Yamuna Expressway, numerous townships are springing up. Land for these townships is being given to companies as special incentives to develop infrastructure in the area.
Stone crushers at work on the fertile land of Dankaur village in Greater Noida
A three-wheeler burnt during violence in Bhatta
A cavalcade of tractors entered the mill to join the mahapanchayat called by farmer groups.
The event was supposed to be a grand affair, but the police had stopped many farmers and their leaders in Aligarh and Meerut. Those present deliberated on the recent violence in Bhatta and Parsaul villages in Greater Noida and the Uttar Pradesh government’s land acquisition policy. They then decided to march to the villages to express solidarity. But the party was soon accosted by state police and Rapid Action Force units.
Acheja, a small farming village in Gautam Budh Nagar district in western Uttar Pradesh, had never seen such a large congregation as it did on May 12. The venue was a rice mill. Its verandah was crammed with farmers in white kurta pyjamas and Gandhi caps. They were discussing the recent violence in the area in high-pitched voices.
In a room inside the mill, a group of farmers had crowded before a television set. Chief Minister Mayawati was addressing a press conference, broadcast live on a channel. As she began to blame the farmers for the recent wave of violence in Uttar Pradesh, they became agitated.
With neither land nor compensation, farm workers are left in the lurch. Father of Firdaus Biwi (in green) and sons of Munni (fourth from right) are the victims
The violence in Bhatta-Parsaul villages is a reminder of smaller clashes in western Uttar Pradesh since 2007 over land acquisition. In August 2010, Tappal block in Aligarh saw similar protests, leading to a clash between farmers and the police. The compensation given to these farmers against land acquired for the Yamuna Expressway and a high-tech city was a fraction of the profits made by the private developer to whom the land was transferred.
Between May 9 and May 12, 2011, Bhatta-Parsaul had no men. They had run away fearing the police, or were admitted in hospitals, or were under detention. Twenty-two villagers were sent to Dasna jail in Ghaziabad. The police had blocked entry roads to the villages. Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedures was imposed, which forbids more than five persons from assembling at a place.
