The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has restored possession of land to three Hindu families who were displaced during the devastating anti-Hindu riots of 1978 in Sambhal. This decision, coming 47 years after the families were forced to flee their homes following the brutal murders of their relatives, marks the beginning of a long-awaited quest for justice and closure.
The families had lost not only their loved ones in the violence but also their ancestral lands, which members of another community illegally occupied. The 1978 riots in Sambhal were a tragic chapter in the history of communal violence in Uttar Pradesh, leading to the massacre of nearly 250 Hindus, many of whom were either brutally killed or forced to flee for their lives. Among the most tragic victims was Tulsi Ram, a Dalit man from a Hindu family, whose brutal killing left his family in mourning and fear.
After his death, Tulsi Ram’s family, along with many other Hindus in the area, fled their homes in terror, leaving behind their lands in Mohalla Jagat, a locality that was once their ancestral home. What followed was years of forced displacement, with the families seeking refuge in other areas such as Chandausi. However, they were left with the heartbreak of seeing their lands occupied by others. The occupation of their land was not merely an illegal act of encroachment; it was a calculated move by individuals from a different community, who had constructed a school on part of the land. This further deepened the trauma of the affected families, who had no access to their property.
Amrish Kumar, one of the complainants and a member of Tulsi Ram’s family, recalls the harrowing experience of witnessing the brutality and fear that led them to flee their home. “My grandfather was killed during the riots. After that, we had no choice but to leave everything behind, our home, our land, our livelihood,” Kumar said. “When we tried to return, we were chased away. We were told that we had no place here anymore.” Despite their numerous attempts to reclaim their property, they were always driven away by those who had illegally taken control of it.
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