land grabs and dispossession of local farmers seem to be a recurring theme in western-approved “progress” and “democracy.”
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Bhajanpur is a village situated in Forbesganj, Bihar. It is a 100% minority village. In 1984 Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority acquired 105 acres of land. The compensation offered in 1988 was meager. Over the yrs after the govt acquired major chunks of land, villagers were forced to change their occupation from being small farmers to daily wage earners.
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Two months ago the villagers went to the SDO and demanded that their road should not be disturbed as that was their only connectivity to the hospital, Idgah, Karbala and the market. Closing of this village road meant that an ordinary daily wager would be forced to walk an extra 5-7 kilometers to reach the market to find work.
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The news of the company blocking the village road by building a brick wall spread like wildfire and on 3rd June 2011. The villagers felt betrayed and helpless, residents of Rampur and Bhajanpur villages under Forbesganj block in Araria district came out, after Juma Prayer, to protest against blockade of the connecting road between the two villages by the Auro Sundaram International Company. The villagers demolished the portion blocking the road and set fire to a company jeep. The police opened fire on the protestors and chased them to their homes.
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More here.