Balliari’s Landless Wage Relentless Fight Against “Land Mafia” and Official Apathy
Bengaluru, Dec. 26: A decades-old grant of land to landless labourers in Ballari has become the epicentre of a bitter struggle, with activists alleging a powerful former official is using strong-arm tactics to dispossess vulnerable families. The Land and Housing Rights Deprived Struggle Committee has called for immediate government intervention and legal action against the accused.
At a press conference held at the Press Club on Friday, committee secretary and panel member Kumar Samatala laid out a detailed chronology of alleged deceit and intimidation targeting 17 families from Scheduled Caste and backward communities.
A Grant of Dignity, Now Under Siege
The dispute centres on 134 acres of land in Koulbazaar’s Danappabeedi and Bandihatti Eriya areas. According to Samatala, this was originally inam (grant) land. Following the abolition of the inam system, the Land Justice Tribunal formally allotted the land in the 1970s to the families—comprising seven from the Madiga community, four from the Kuruba community, five Madivalas, and one from the Ediga community—who had been tilling it as tenants.
“For generations since that grant, these families nurtured and lived off this land. It was their source of sustenance and dignity,” stated Samatala.
Alleged Onslaught Begins
The situation changed dramatically around 2006, Samatala alleges, when former City Development Authority Chairman N. Pratapareddy “set his eyes on this land.”
What followed, activists claim, was a campaign of fear and coercion. “After Pratapareddy’s gaze fell upon this land, the lives of the poor descended into ruin due to goondaism and threats,” Samatala told reporters.
The impact has been devastating. Families from the Madiga community, rightful owners of the land, have been reduced to working as street sweepers for the Ballari City Municipal Corporation to survive. Fearing for their safety, several Madivala families have reportedly fled the village altogether. Some live in constant fear, while others have vowed to fight for justice at all costs.
“Some are living in terror, just trying to survive. Others have sworn to fight with self-respect, declaring they will get justice or die trying,” Samatala said.
Systemic Failure and a Call for Action
Despite possessing all government-issued documents, the families have found no relief from local administration or revenue officials, a failure the committee attributes to “mistakes and irresponsibility” by certain officers, allegedly influenced by Pratapareddy’s “power and money.”
“The fact that the local district administration has not stepped in to resolve this confusion in favour of the poor, despite them having all the papers, is telling. The errors of some officials have become a major knot, and Pratapareddy’s power and money have worked in the background,” Samatala asserted. He noted that related cases are already pending in court.
Activist Mariyappa K., who also spoke, directed sharp questions at the authorities. “Is it right that a government and local politicians who claim to be for the poor are working in favour of a land mafia like Pratapareddy? Don’t the poor deserve to live in peace?” he asked.
He condemned the inaction of district police and revenue officials. “What are they doing? On whose side are they working? The Revenue Department is immersed in deep corruption, which is causing immense trouble for the poor.” He called for immediate government intervention to stop the injustice.
A Rallying Cry for Justice
The committee issued a firm three-point demand: immediate investigation by the district administration, disciplinary action against complicit officials, and the swift restoration of the land to its rightful owners.
To the families enduring this struggle, the message from the activists is one of solidarity and resilience. Their fight is a stark reminder of the ongoing battle against anti-people, anti-labour policies that favour the powerful. It is a condemnation of a system that allows bureaucratic corruption and intimidation to trample the rights of the most vulnerable, and a call to uphold the law with impartiality and urgency.
Committee officials Kaveri, K. Mohan, K.S. Raghu, E. Eresh, and Kantaraj were present at the press conference.
Key Quotes
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Kumar Samatala (Activist): “After Pratapareddy’s gaze fell upon this land, the lives of the poor descended into ruin due to goondaism and threats… Some have sworn to fight with self-respect, declaring they will get justice or die trying.”
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Mariyappa K. (Activist): “Is it right that a government and local politicians who claim to be for the poor are working in favour of a land mafia?… What are the police and revenue officials doing? On whose side are they working?”
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ಕುಮಾರ್ ಸಮತಳ (ಕಾರ್ಯಕರ್ತ): “ಪ್ರತಾಪರೆಡ್ಡಿಯ ದೃಷ್ಟಿ ಈ ಭೂಮಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಬಿದ್ದ ನಂತರ, ಗೂಂಡಾಗಿರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಬೆದರಿಕೆಗಳಿಂದ ಬಡವರ ಜೀವನ ದಿವಾಳಿಯಾಯಿತು… ಕೆಲವರು ಸ್ವಾಭಿಮಾನದಿಂದ ಹೋರಾಟ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ, ನ್ಯಾಯ ಸಿಗದೇ ತೀರಿಹೋಗುತ್ತೇವೆಂದು ಪ್ರತಿಜ್ಞೆ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ.”
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ಮರಿಯಪ್ಪ ಕೆ. (ಕಾರ್ಯಕರ್ತ): “ಬಡವರ ಪರ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುವ ಸರ್ಕಾರ, ರಾಜಕಾರಣಿಗಳು ಭೂಮಾಫಿಯಾ ಪರ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಸರಿಯೇ?… ಪೊಲೀಸ್, ಕಂದಾಯ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳು ಏನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ? ಯಾರ ಪರ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ?”
