Thousands Protest Land Seizure in India

NEW DELHI — Tens of thousands of impoverished Indians arrived in the national capital on Sunday ending a monthlong march to draw attention to the plight of those dispossessed of their land by recent economic development.

An estimated 27,000 protesters waved flags and chanted "Give us land, give us water," as they marched in long, orderly lines to central New Delhi where they plan to hold a massive protest Monday.

The demonstrators, who marched some 185 miles from the central city of Gwalior, say they have not only been left behind in the wake of India's recent economic boom, but have suffered directly from the growth, with many forced from their land to make way for government-backed economic projects.

Police reported Sunday that four people died in eastern India after clashes between farmers and government supporters over proposed land seizures to create an industrial zone.

"We don't have food, land or water. We are going to Delhi to get this," Rasi Ram, one of the marchers in New Delhi, told the CNN-IBN news channel.

India is trying to attract foreign investment to spur its economy and help develop its largely backward infrastructure. To that end, it has set up Special Economic Zones, where companies get tax breaks to set up business and factories.

But critics say farmers are often forced from their land or cheated on its value when an area is designated for these projects.

In West Bengal state, three government supporters died in an explosion, a day after an activist who opposes the land grabs was shot dead by supporters of the governing Communist Party of India (Marxist), said Raj Kanojia, the state's inspector general of police.

Farmers in the Nandigram area in West Bengal fiercely resisted efforts by authorities to force land sales at cheap rates to build a shipyard and a petrochemical plant. The government officially abandoned the plan to acquire 22,000 acres of land in Nandigram in March, but the violence has continued.

Those who support the farmers say the communists were killed when a bomb they were building prematurely exploded, while party officials say they were attacked to avenge the death of the activist.

It's not only economic developments that have forced the poor from their lands. Some say India's vague property laws and endemic corruption allow them to be strong-armed off their land by powerful local landowners.

"When these landowners see that someone strong is coming up to fight for his land rights they get them murdered," Vishwas Prasad, a marcher told the NDTV news channel.

Back To Top

	India cages - yes, cages - 27,000 peaceful, poor protesters left without land due to corporate globalization	CNN	Tue Oct 30	7
	Landless Poor Protest in Indian Capital	Associated Press	Mon Oct 29	1
	2,000 Detained After Strike in India	Associated Press	Wed Oct 31	0