Land-grabbing behind India’s new caste wars | Landportal
▻https://www.landportal.info/news/2016/03/land-grabbing-behind-indias-new-caste-wars?platform=hootsuite
He cites a study by India’s National Sample Survey (PDF), finding that the average land holding in India has been reduced from 2.63 acres in 1960-61 to 1.06 acres in 2003-4—or about 60% in four decades. This has been due to fragmentation of peasant lands, and their expropriation by corporate interests.
Although it failed to make global headlines the way the Jat action did, last month also saw angry protests by members of the Gujjar peasant caste in Jammu & Kashmir state. At least one was killed in clashes with police who were sent in to evict Gujjars from state lands they had “encroached” upon. (Indian Express, Feb. 23; Indian Express, Feb. 22)
Of course, the peasants are only “encroaching” on state lands because their own lands have been “encroached” upon by private interests. In addition to agribusiness interests seizing untitled traditional lands from the peasantry, the government is also expropriating lands for energy and resource projects.