It is 2 pm and Senu Khuman Bhos is ready for the next phase of her journey. A villager from Somata village in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, Bhos is one of the hundreds of farmers marching from Akole to Loni in Ahmednagar, the home district of state Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil.
This is the third time that Bhos, who is in her 70s, has joined such a long march — 53-km long — organised by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). “I was there when the first march started from Nashik in 2017. Our demand back then and now remains the same — implement the Forest Rights Act and transfer the land we cultivate to us,” says Bhos, speaking to The Indian Express on Thursday, before the march was called off.
Led by the AIKS and other Left organisations, the farmers began their walk from Akole on Wednesday to press for several demands, including the non-implementation of the Forest Rights Act, which recognises the rights of forest-dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources.
While resting at the Rameshwar Mangal Karaayalay on the Akole-Sangamner Road, Bhos found common ground with tribals from Nashik. Kusum Shantaram More from Panchale in Sinnar taluka of Nashik narrated how her father-in-law died trying to get a small piece of land in his name. “Back in 2017, I had joined the Nashik-Mumbai long march and now five years later, I have joined the march again. Often, the revenue and forest officials threaten to destroy our makeshift homes. Land is the only asset we have and yet it is not in our names — this is not fair,” she says.
More’s neighbour Chahabai Shivaji More has the same demand: implement the Forest Rights Act and provide tribals with community as well as individual property rights on forest land.
People from Palghar, Nashik, Beed, Ahmednagar and Parbhani have joined the march. And for many, it’s not the first time they have done so.
Janabai Talpe, who hails from Sangavi village in Akole taluka of Ahmednagar district, is unsure about her age but says she has joined all the five marches the Kisan Sabha has held — be it the one from Nashik which painted Mumbai red in 2017 or the one which was aborted a month ago just outside Mumbai. Talpe has not missed a single one, she says.
By stepping out on the road, she says, she is ensuring that the fight for rights remains active. With both her daughters married, Talpe, who lost her husband years ago, is taking part in the march to ensure better remuneration for anganwadi workers as one of her married daughters is employed as a ‘sevika’.
“If we don’t come on the road, no one will bother. We have to be seen to be heard,” she says. With her red cap and red badge, Taple’s wrinkled face reflects the enthusiasm she has for the cause.
The long march, says Dhondiba Talpade (45), another resident of Sangavi, is unique as they crowd-fund to meet their ends. “People of other parties and communities question us on why we take this route. For us, this is the only way we can highlight our angst and will continue doing so till our demands are met,” he says.