Ex-teacher’s protest against land grab completes 30 years

AGRA: The sit-in protest against alleged corruption and illegal occupation of public land outside the Muzaffarnagar district magistrate office completed 30 years on Thursday, marking one of the longest-running continuous sit-ins in the country. Led by Vijay Singh, a resident of village Chausana in Shamli, the non-violent demonstration began on Feb 26, 1996, after he resigned as teacher at a govt school.Singh has now announced that he will take his campaign to New Delhi and Lucknow, and request meetings with top constitutional authorities and senior govt officials to demand action in the matter. He claims to have endured threats, hardship and prolonged financial difficulty, and refused inducements to withdraw. "My sole purpose is to fight against land encroachment. If I fail, I will die protesting," Singh told TOI. The protest seeks the removal of illegal encroachments from nearly 4,000 recorded parcels of public agricultural land in Chausana, estimated to be worth around Rs 900 crore, and about 600,000 bighas across Shamli and Muzaffarnagar districts. He says his campaign seeks to restore these land parcels for public use and for distribution among disadvantaged communities.Inspired by the non-violent philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, the protest has been maintained day and night at Shiv Chowk, continuing through harsh summers, winters and rains.The agitation has been recognised by record-keeping institutions, including Limca Book of Records, India Book of Records, Asia Book of Records, World Records Union, and Unique World Records for its unprecedented duration. Supporters compare its length to the anti-nuclear vigil by William Thomas outside the White House, as well as the prolonged fast led by Irom Sharmila, both of which eventually ended.Since 1996, Singh has organised marches, awareness drives and demonstrations in multiple cities. In 2012, he walked nearly 600 km to Lucknow to meet then CM Akhilesh Yadav. During an earlier administration headed by Mayawati, officials reportedly cleared encroachments from about 300 bighas before the process slowed again.According to Singh, the issue resurfaced prominently at a 2019 public event attended by CM Adityanath, after which an inquiry was ordered. Investigating officer Surendra Singh submitted findings that allegedly identified illegal occupation of large tracts of public land, naming former legislator Thakur Jagat Singh. The report was later verified on site and forwarded to the state govt, but to no avail.Living in a modest hut near the protest site, he leads a life of austerity, performing daily chores himself. In 2013, he pledged to donate his body to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, for medical research after his death.