Around 100 Dalits blocked the road outside Ahmedabad Collector’s office Tuesday. (Express Photo by Javed Raja) Around 100 Dalits blocked the road outside Ahmedabad Collector’s office Tuesday. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

Around 100 Dalits were detained by Ahmedabad City police Tuesday after they blocked the road outside Ahmedabad Collector’s office, protesting to press for their demand to get actual possession of land allocated to them. Hundreds of acres of land have been allocated to Dalits of Saroda village in Dholka region under the provisions of Agriculture Land Ceiling (ALC) Act, which has remained on paper so far.

Ahmedabad Collector Avantika Singh Aulakh said, “It is not true that the land measurement has been discontinued. It is almost over and now some table work is required, following which a committee headed by Additional Collector will make its recommendations. The matter is also sub judice. So, we have to take all that into consideration. We have conveyed all this to them (Dalits) and are in constant dialogue with them. There was a protest today. But it’s a long procedure and the matter does not get resolved immediately.”

Last month, the Dalits had blocked the road with the demand, following which the district revenue authorities had started measuring the plots in Saroda village.

However, after some days, the measuring procedure was allegedly stopped by them which has not resumed till date.

Raman Maheriya, a resident of Saroda and a member of Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch, which is organising the protest, said, “They measured the land for giving us physical possession for some days last month. But then, they stopped it with a promise to resume the same after Dussehra due to staff crunch. However, it has not restarted yet. We protested today and the police detained us.” He added: “We are not going to stop our protest till we physically get the land allocated to us.” Around 40 women also participated in the protest and were among those detained.

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