Thousands Of Tribal Villagers Rally In MP's Aalirajpur Against Proposed Land Acquisition, Demand Gram Sabha Rights Be Respected

Aalirajpur (Madhya Pradesh): Thousands of tribal villagers, farmers and women staged a protest at the Aalirajpur collectorate on Tuesday over proposed land acquisition for various development projects, mineral blocks and fertiliser shortages.

Jobat MLA Sena Mahesh Patel and Tribal Development Council state vice-president Mahesh Patel led the demonstration.

The rally began at the Ramdev Temple complex and marched to the collectorate, with protesters carrying placards and raising slogans demanding the protection of Tribal rights over land, forests, and natural resources.

At the collectorate, protesters initially refused to submit their memorandum to the SDM and additional collector, insisting on speaking directly with the collector.

The collector later met the demonstrators and heard their concerns while sitting among them.

Representatives submitted resolutions passed by gram sabhas of Semliya, Mota Umar and Juwari panchayats, stating that they would not give their land for the proposed projects.

The administration acknowledged that letters had been received from the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government seeking proposals from gram sabhas and said the resolutions would be forwarded to higher authorities.

The protesters also raised concerns over fertiliser availability and demanded an end to the token system, seeking distribution on the basis of Aadhaar and land records. The leaders said tribal land rights and gram sabha decisions must be respected.