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In Maharashtra's villages, Dalit families' decades-long battle to reclaim rightful watan lands
FirstpostThe Bombay Inferior Village Watans Abolition Act, 1958 aimed to protect Dalits’ access to land. “Ownership of this land would benefit lakhs of Dalit families.” *** Dwarkabai remembers how, as a young girl, she’d frequent the village watan land. “We grew enough to last us the whole year.” Her family’s land is part of a single plot of 660 acres that was awarded to Mahar and Ramoshi communities of eight villages in Sangola block of Solapur district. We are left behind to scrape through poverty and live with humiliation.” Till today, over 450 Mahar and Ramoshi women have made claims to watan land in the eight villages in Sangola, says Babar. They said no one could claim it.” Shahjee Londe of Sangli says the government officials attempt to hide the truth about ownership of the Dalit workers on watan land.
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