Victims of hostile locals
From Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

SONEPAT, Nov 16 — Residents of Nangla Behlolpur in Sonepat district are finding themselves aliens in their own homeland with the government and the locals refusing to accept them in their state.

Formerly located in Baghpat tehsil of Meerut district of UP, Nangla Behlolpur became part of Haryana after the Yamuna changed its course. The village was formally merged with Haryana in September, 1983 when the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (Alteration of Boundaries) Act, 1979, became effective. As the river kept changing its course the boundaries of the villages in the two states were affected.

Residents of Nangla Beholpur village look at remains of their belongings, which were set on fire on October 20. Photo by T. C. Malhotra

Earlier, the miseries of the victims of the river were compounded on account of difference of opinion between the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh Governments regarding their addresses.

As per the Act a status quo has been granted to the location of the villages with regard to maps of the two states, notwithstanding the changes in their boundaries caused by the Yamuna. In effect, the concept of "Fluctuating Boundary" was replaced by "permanent boundary". The Act was passed on the basis of Dixit award. The award was based on the Survey of India 1974-75.

Nature’s fury has left an estimated 1100 persons living in a cluster of 80 makeshift huts homeless and life a daily struggle. The state government authorities and the locals are determined to drive them out. On October 20 when the villagers were forced to take shelter at safer places in the neighbouring villages after the floods struck their habitation, they were victims of twin tragedy. Not only was their daily routine affected by the floods on their return they found that their hutments had been set ablaze by hostile neighbours in Khurampur village. The district administration and the police have turned a deaf ear to their numerous complaints and no action has yet been taken against the culprits after the first information report was filed on the second day of the incident. Also, no officer of the administration has so for visited the site.

The Deputy Commissioner, Sonepat, Mr P.K. Mahapatra, told TNS today that preventive arrests were made on the day of the incident. But he expressed ignorance of the situation after the FIR was lodged. He expressed concern that people took law in their hand. He further said that a police post had been set up at Khurampur. The status of the village with regard to the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (Alteration of boundaries) Act was sub judice, he added.

The SP, Sonepat, Mr K. Selvaraj, said the investigation was still on. A visit to Nangla Behlolpur revealed that residents had preserved the ashes and remains of their huts and belongings burnt in the "arson". The miscreants were accused to have razed all 80 hutments killing three cattle in the inferno. The eldest member of the village, Mr Baljit Singh Yadav, said as many as 12 armed persons from the neighbouring Khurampur swooped on the hutments in the evening after opening fire. Except him and two others, all had left with cattle to safer places as the Yamuna had flooded the area.

An inquiry revealed that the residents preferred hutments as the government was yet to provided "bundh" on the boundaries of the village to save it from the floods caused by the river. In absence of a bundh even "pucca" houses would not be able to stand against possible floods.

The residents alleged earlier too there had been acts of aggression from the residents of Khurampur. According to them, some residents of Khurampur set three huts on fire, in September, in collusion with the local police.

They alleged that instead of taking action against the culprits the police was siding with them. They further alleged that the police did not record all aspects of the violent incident on October 20 with a view to weakening the FIR.

According to them, even though the Chief Electoral Officer had directed the district administration to get the names of some persons of the village registered in the electoral roll of the village, they were being deprived of their fundamental right to vote.

The residents of the village said the reason for the "indifferent" attitude of the district administration was the pressure from residents of Khurampur. According to them, residents of Khurampur had better connections with the bureaucracy and politicians of Haryana.

Besides, there seems to economic angle to the situation. As per the revenue record, Nangla Behlolpur has 254 acres of land. It is alleged that before the village formally became part of Haryana, the residents of Khurampur would use the land. For that matter, they allegedly still use part of the land by force. Another resident alleged that some residents of Khurampur had procured an ex parte order from the court staying the amalgamation of Nangla Behlolpur with Haryana. The order was procured without making the residents of Nangla Behlolpur a party to the case. Following a petition from resident of the village against the ex parte order, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 14 directed the lower court to settle the case within one year.