Letter to BS: Poor tribals in Uttar Pradesh deprived of ownership of land

A credible administrative and legal shield is required to stop attempts to target vulnerable sections in our society

Rattled by the foiled attempts to prevent Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi from meeting the family members of victims of Sonbhadra massacre over an alleged land dispute, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has accused the Congress party of being the main culprit, tracing the genesis of the incident to an alleged illegal registration of the disputed land in the name of a trust as far back as 1955. 

This is preposterous, to say the least. He has blamed both the Congress and the SP of hatching a conspiracy. Fishing in troubled waters, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has been quick to hold both the Congress and the BJP responsible for the oppression of tribals. 

The poor tribals have been at the receiving end of being forcefully deprived of ownership and enjoyment of their land by the powerful, resulting in a class war with such groups taking up arms to seek justice. This must be prevented. 

What is required therefore is to build a credible administrative and legal shield against any future attempt targeting such vulnerable sections in our society. The immediate task for the investigating agencies should be to build foolproof prosecutable cases against those responsible for such a carnage and to swiftly bring them to justice in a demonstrable manner.

S K Choudhury, Bengaluru
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