JAMMU, May 25: A strong protest was held at Devi Ghar Bhola Chak in Suchetgarh under the leadership of senior Congress leader and former DDC Suchetgarh Taranjit Singh Tony, demanding immediate release of compensation and ownership rights for border farmers whose land has been acquired by the BSF.
The protest witnessed participation from affected farmers, local residents, Panchayat members and prominent border representatives including Sarpanch Sarabjit Singh, Sarpanch Vijay Choudhary, Sarpanch Balbir Kour and several panches, who raised slogans against the alleged harassment and neglect of border cultivators by the administration.
Addressing the gathering, Taranjit Singh Tony said that the BSF had acquired land belonging to four families in the area and compensation had already been released by the concerned security agencies, but the local administration has failed to transfer the amount to the actual cultivators who have been farming the land for nearly 60 years.
“These poor border farmers have protected and cultivated this land for generations under extremely difficult circumstances. Today, when compensation is being released, the administration is denying them their rightful dues despite acknowledging their cultivation through official demarcation,” Tony said.
He stated that during a recent demarcation exercise, the Tehsildar himself reportedly confirmed nearly 66 years of continuous cultivation by the affected farmers. Tony questioned how the administration could ignore such long possession and cultivation history while withholding compensation.
“Whenever the Army acquires land during wartime situations or for security purposes, compensation and even mining-related compensation is traditionally paid to the actual cultivators because they are dependent on the land for survival. Why is a different policy being adopted in this case?” he asked.
Tony alleged that instead of supporting border residents, the administration is pushing them from one department to another, creating fear and uncertainty among farming families living close to the International Border.
“The compensation amount is moving from department to department and even towards the custodian department, while the actual farmers are left helpless. If this injustice continues, where will these people go? These border residents have already sacrificed enough for the nation,” he said.
The Congress leader warned that a “dangerous precedent” is being created by denying compensation to those who have tilled the land for decades. He said border farmers now fear that if security forces take possession of more land in future, they may lose both livelihood and legal protection.
“There is anger and panic among border farmers. People are worried that tomorrow more land may be taken and they will neither receive compensation nor ownership rights despite cultivating the land for generations,” Tony remarked.
During the protest, the affected families also held detailed discussions with SDPO Gurmeet Singh, SHO Arnia Kaiser, BSF officials and SDM R.S. Pura, demanding immediate intervention to resolve the issue.
Tony appealed to the Divisional Commissioner Jammu to personally intervene and direct the lower administration to release the compensation amount to the actual cultivators without further delay. He also demanded that ownership rights of refugee and border cultivators be expedited to prevent further injustice.
“These farmers are not encroachers; they are the backbone of the border belt. The government must honour its promises and ensure justice to the people who have protected and cultivated this land for the last six decades,” Tony said.
He further expressed hope that both the Lieutenant Governor administration and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would intervene in the matter and direct officials to safeguard the rights and interests of border farmers.
“The administration must understand the pain and insecurity of border residents. These people have spent their lives protecting the nation while living under constant threat from shelling and conflict. Denying them compensation and ownership rights is completely unjustified,” he added.