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Jagadesh and Sahu —
both non-tribal brahmin landlords — belong to Gotlabadra panchayat area in
Gunupur block of Rayagada district in Orissa. These landlords forcibly occupied
60-acres of land of the innocent Adivasis 30 years ago. During these 30 years,
these lands were given on rent to the Adivasis by the landlords. So, the
Adivasis not only lost their land but also their labour power for these 30
years.
But, after the
arrival of the People’s War squads in that area, the Adivasis of Srirampuram and
Thotaguda were mobilised into Sanghams and they demanded the return of their
lands from the landlords. They formed Land Occupation Committees in these two
villages; each committee comprising 15 to 20 members and a joint committee of 5
members. Before entering the land, the Sanghams widely propagated for nearly six
months about the land seizing programme amongst Adivasis and educated them to
participate in the struggle. Two campaigns were also held with a ten-member
propaganda team for five days in the surrounding villages.
In the month of June,
2000, Adivasis moved onto the lands and hoisted 20 Red Flags on all the 60
acres. A 90-member ploughing team (both women and men) with 30 ploughs entered
the lands. Others, armed with axes, cutting knives and other agricultural
instruments followed them. All these Adivasi men and women commonly ploughed the
60 acres and sowed 20 bags of rice seeds on that land. Later, the landlords with
the help of the police entered, and threatened the Adivasis, saying that they
would be implicated in cases. They even removed the Red Flags from the fields
and instigated some of their henchmen to till, the seeded land. Then the village
Sangham gave a serious warning to the landlords for their divisive tactics, and
it also propagated through posters, pamphlets about the landlords’ conspiracies
and asked the persons who tilled the seeded land to withdraw from doing
anti-people activities. Then the people of the above two villages were mobilised
in large numbers, with ploughs and other agricultural instruments, to till the
land. The police force and landlords got frightened on seeing the large people’s
mobilisation. The police and landlords did nothing, and looked on helplessly at
the land seizure by the Adivasis. Now the people of these two villages are
happily cultivating this land and enjoying the fruits from these 60 acres.
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