Left oriented farm organization protest against forced eviction of farmers

Under the banner of the Himachal Kisan Sabha and the Apple Growers’ Association, protests were held at multiple locations against the Himachal Pradesh government’s eviction of farmers from their lands and the sealing of houses, allegedly under the pretext of High Court orders. Affected families, including women, men, youth, elderly members, and others, took out a rally in Rohru today and staged a demonstration outside the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM). A memorandum outlining their demands was also sent to the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Members of the Apple Growers’ Association, Jubbal Unit, also participated in the protest.

The demonstration was addressed by Sanjay Chauhan and Raman Tharta, members of the Apple Growers’ Association’s State Committee. The speakers accused the state government of using the High Court’s orders as an excuse to evict farmers from their lands and seal their homes, thereby snatching away their right to livelihood. They emphasized that the families being displaced are extremely poor and own very little land. The government is targeting the underprivileged, sealing their homes, and rendering them homeless—an act strongly opposed by the Kisan Sabha and the Apple Growers’ Association.

Farmer leader Sanjay Chauhan stated in his address that the state government has failed to strongly advocate for farmers’ rights in court. He warned that if the government does not intervene immediately, the movement will intensify in the coming days.

Demands of the Himachal Kisan Sabha and Apple Growers’ Association:

1. The state government must take immediate and effective steps to halt evictions and house sealings ordered by the High Court and provide relief to affected families.
2. The eviction of poor families and small farmers from their lands and the sealing of their homes must be stopped immediately.
3. The Central Government should amend the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (FCA) to grant state governments the authority to allocate forest land for agricultural use.
4. Regularize the landholdings (up to 5 bighas) of poor and small farmers.
5. Implement the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA) effectively across the state, granting forest rights to Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers.
6. Provide poor families with 2 biswa (approx. 0.05 acres) of land in urban areas and 3 biswa (approx. 0.075 acres) in rural areas for housing.
7. The government must immediately provide alternative land and relief funds to disaster-affected victims in the state.
8. Stop the destruction of shelters (dhaars) and livelihood sources of poor families.