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Capt Amarinder speaks with Kamal Nath on eviction of 500 Sikhs from tribal block in MP
Fact-finding team led by Punjab revenue minister to visit Madhya Pradesh to ensure protection to families from harassment; Amarinder says if it’s not possible to rehabilitate them in the same area where they had been living for past two decades, due to tribal land protections and laws, then an alternative land should be provided for the resettlement of the Sikh families
Concerned over reports of eviction faced by 500 Sikhs from a scheduled tribal block in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday decided to send a fact-finding delegation to ascertain the facts of the matter and ensure that the evacuees are not rendered homeless or otherwise harassed.
Amarinder conveyed his decision to his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Kamal Nath when he spoke with him on phone to discuss the issue.
The delegation, led by Punjab revenue minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar, will include MLAs Kuldeep Vaid and Harminder Singh Gill. They will be accompanied by Deepinder Singh, Patiala divisional commissioner; Capt Karnail Singh, director, land records; and Narinder Singh Sangha; revenue consultant.
Amarinder requested Nath to make alternative arrangements for the settlement of the 500 Sikhs. If it was not possible to rehabilitate them in the same area where they had been living for the past two decades, due to tribal land protections and laws, then an alternative land should be provided for their resettlement, he said.
Kamal Nath assured Amarinder that his government would do everything possible to ensure that Sikhs get their due and are not subjected to any harassment, a Punjab government spokesperson said.
The problem has occurred as a result of the MP government’s drive against mafia and encroachments. The MP government says the Sikhs had been illegal occupants of land in the notified tribal block in Karahal tehsil of Sheopur district, but the Sikhs, originally hailing from Punjab and Haryana, have denied charges of illegally occupying the land and say that they had bought the land, including agricultural plots, back in the ’90s.
