Dalit woman accuses Sarpanches of illegal land grab worth Rs 23 cr in Jpr

Jaipur: Just a day after India celebrated ‘Constitution Day,’ honoring Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a Dalit woman’s decade-long struggle against land encroachment highlights ongoing injustice. Santra Devi, a 65-year-old widow from Machwa village, Kalwar Road, has been battling to reclaim her 2-bigha land, her family’s sole livelihood after her husband’s death in 2013. With the growing interest in real estate, Santra Devi’s case is just the tip of the iceberg. A widow and around 65 years old she has been running pillar to post requesting officials to mutate the land, her only source of income in her children’s name after her husband’s death in 2013.

The land, allocated to her late husband Bhairu Lal Dhanka, a poor Dalit laborer, is now illegally occupied by two Sarpanches, Rajender Sherawat and Jhajjara. Santra alleges they forged documents to create fraudulent societies, sold her land for commercial use, and even burned her hut in 2021, leaving her family homeless. Speaking to the media, Santra Devi narrated her harrowing tale to reclaim her land. “My husband was a very poor Dalit who made a living by whitewashing buildings. As a landless Dalit, the government allocated him 2 bighas of sand soil without a well. In 2013, when he passed away, Sherawat and Jhajjara and their family members took illegal possession,” she said. Despite repeated petitions to revenue officials, local authorities, and human rights commissions, no action has been taken. The land, currently housing 23 shops valued at Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore each, is estimated to be worth Rs 23 crores. Santra Devi has approached Jaipur Police Commssioner Biju Joseph, seeking urgent intervention.