Situated on the border between Delhi and Haryana’s Faridabad, Khori Village was home to around 50,000 people. After the Supreme Court’s order, the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad started a demolition drive leaving thousands of people from the marginalised and depressed class homeless.
The Indian Forest Act, 1927, bars any construction within the forest zone and the demolishers claimed that Khori village was considered to lie in the forest zone of the Aravalli range, although the disputed area was apparently not marked as forest land. Claims regarding the ‘illegal’ homes and structures initiated the drive, that started with cutting off both their water and electricity supply; all of which eventually culminated in the demolition.
The Supreme Court had made it clear that the encroachers should be evicted from the land even by force. Khori Village is primarily a settlement of Dalits and their livelihood depended on the area. The desperate condition created an impossible situation for the community leading to multiple suicide cases across the village.
“Land is a very critical element for Dalit lives, for their livelihood, for their well-being, for the rights and for their empowerment. It is the disempowerment, distancing and exclusion that led Dalits from land that led to their enslavement ages ago”.
— Paul Divakar, NCDHR
‘I Have No Homeland’ , a documentary inspired from the infamous line said by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, sheds light on the current situation of a community grappling with the loss of their homes and livelihood. The film highlights the urgency of the situation which has left senior citizens, children and multiple members of a marginalised group without a roof over their heads.
You can watch the documentary, created by The Voice Media and Dalit Desk, via the link below.
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