Dalit families allege social boycott in Patiala village, probe ordered

Patiala: An inquiry has been ordered into allegations that scheduled caste (SC) families at Chatthe village in Patiala's Nabha tehsil faced social and economic boycott after a long-running dispute over common village land escalated into a caste rights controversy.Harmeet Singh, a resident of Chatthe village, submitted a complaint to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the Patiala deputy commissioner, claiming that Dalit families faced discrimination, harassment and social exclusion for demanding their statutory share in panchayat shamlat.According to the complaint, SC families were entitled to one-third of the village's approximately 115 acres of shamlat (common land). Harmeet alleged that the families were denied fodder, cultivable land and other facilities. "Landlords have refused to lease land to dalit families for growing green fodder and have prevented them from collecting wheat residue or fodder from agricultural fields for cattle. The boycott has severely affected livelihoods and forced many families to travel long distances to arrange animal feed," Harmeet told TOI.The community also alleged an employment blockade, claiming that daily-wage opportunities within the village dried up and that MGNREGA work and job cards had been suspended for nearly a year. As a result, labourers had to travel up to 14km to Nabha and nearby towns for work. The complainant cited Articles 14, 15, 17, 21 and 46 of the Constitution, and alleged violations of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.Harmeet said the dispute was related to shamlat land that was declared gram panchayat property by the deputy director, rural development and panchayat department, Punjab, through an order dated April 11, 2025. The complainant alleged that illegal encroachments continued despite the ruling and accused the authorities of failing to take action.The complainant demanded legal action under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against those responsible for the alleged boycott, removal of encroachments, protection for affected families, action against negligent officials and deployment of an NCSC team.Paramjit Singh Kainth, vice-president of the BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha, Punjab, said the DC had directed the additional deputy commissioner (development) to conduct an inquiry. The village panchayat denied the allegations. Beant Singh, speaking on behalf of his wife and sarpanch Jaswinder Kaur, termed the allegations a "political stunt" aimed at pressuring authorities to expedite a complex legal dispute over land.He maintained there was no social or economic boycott in the village and claimed that members of the SC community, including women, continued to work in the fields. Beant Singh stated that shamlat under question was under litigation for decades in various forums, including the high court, the director's office and the district development and panchayat officer.He also disputed claims regarding MGNREGA work, saying work was provided until three-four months ago. It was stopped due to a lack of eligible projects, Beant Singh added.ADC (development) Damanjit Singh Mann said he had received the complaint marked for inquiry by the DC. Mann assured a prompt investigation and appropriate action.