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We commend that Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee (ZPSC) have been working towards a program including initiation of langar provision, cooperative management of the area, etc on 20th May for establishing 'Begampura'. This is at the 927-acre plot of land recently seized by Dalits and landless labourers. This plot was seized as it was in direct contravention of Punjab's redistributive but weakly implemented Land Ceiling Act 1972. We celebrate this historic act of class-based, anti-caste direct action against casteist feudal landlordism in Punjab - which we have explained in more detail in our statement on 4th March 2025.
Unfortunately we've now seen reports that the AAP state government and Punjab Police have disrupted this activity, arrested hundreds of ZPSC's activists, supporters and leaders from their villages and stopped others from reaching the site. We condemn this repression in the strongest terms. These anti-people forces have again shown their feudal character. We wish the resilient people of this movement the best of the luck in their historic efforts in the hours and days to follow. We echo the Punjab Student Union's (PSU) demand this morning for the release of all those arrested and for the authorities to instead listen to their just demands for land redistribution, again, in Punjab.
PSU had reported that, yesterday, on 19th of May there had been raids by Punjab Police of ZSPC leaders' homes, arrests of various ZPSC activists and arrests of allied Pendu Manzoor Union leadership too. The Ghadar Memorial Bhawan, Sangrur, was also raided.
They also stated that, now, the worker-opposing face of CM Bhagwant Mann has been made naked. They called out his performative hypocrisy of recently reciting Sant Ram Udasi's (a famous Dalit Sikh Naxalite poet) poem on the plight of landless kammiyan (labourers), in a weak attempt to create misconception in the people.
PSU declared that every justice-desiring section ought to oppose the haakam-jamaat (ruling class) Aam Aadmi Party's attempt to forcibly suppress landless workers' rightful struggle for land acquisition.
As such, we strongly condemn these acts by the Punjab Police and AAP. Yesterday, the ZPSC's Mukesh Malaud also stated that the raids exposed the state's two-faced nature - since for the last few days the authorities have been approaching ZPSC, saying their demands are just and should sit down to negotiate. Yet, they have behaved like this. This behaviour from the state and police follows on from their recent violent eviction of the farmer's protest sites at Shambu and Khanauri borders and arresting of key kisaan leaders, despite ongoing negotiations. It is becoming clearer and clearer that AAP's rule in Punjab is as anti-democratic as their masters in Delhi.
As for the Punjab Police, it is important to note that this same force has a global reputation for impunity, human rights abuses, and feudal corruption. For this force to be opposing the democratic will and just rights of landless labourers, and defending blatant landlordism in contravention of the Land Ceiling Act 1972, is totally in their character.
In the late 60s and 70s, this anti-democratic force initiated a policy of eradicating Punjab's emerging Naxalite movement via a terroristic "fake encounter" strategy that has since spread across the region. Famous Ghadarite Baba Bujha Singh was among those killed in cold blood by Punjab Police in the 70s - so for them to raid the Ghadar Memorial Bhawan is hardly out of character. Efforts of human rights activists such as Ram Narayan Kumar, Jaswant Singh Khalra (ex-PSU himself) and organisations such as Ensaaf, Human Rights Watch and others have uncovered the unprecedented scale of such illegal encounter killings by Punjab Police in the counterinsurgency of the 80s and 90s. This includes, for example, the infamous killing of Shaheed Bhagat Singh's younger sister Parkash Kaur's relative, Kuljit Singh Dhatt.
We support efforts for land justice for historically caste-oppressed people and landless labourers. Punjab's Dalit labourer class has received little in exchange for thanklessly building the wealth of agricultural and trading castes in Punjab, such as through the Siri system. To benefit from land redistribution, as others have done under previous waves of land reform, is their right.
The ZPSC and their comrades have repeatedly clarified how small-landowning peasants and landless families from peasant castes also stand to benefit from their movement's demand.
We strongly oppose AAP and Punjab Police's collaboration with feudal landlords who are allowed to evade legally mandated land redistribution via corruption and cheap tricks. We extend our solidarity to the ongoing struggle by Punjab's Dalits to bring to life the vision of a truly egalitarian society, Begampura, for all. We hope that other democratic forces in Punjab will do so too.
20/05/2025
India Labour Solidarity
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