The All Puroik Welfare Society (APWS) has urged the state government to enforce Section 19 of the Bonded Labour Abolition Act, alleging that several freed Puroiks do not have rights over their own land. This section mandates punishment for the omission or failure to restore possession of property to bonded labourers.
“The Puroik community, historically subjected to bonded labour, has been legally freed under the provisions of this Act. However, despite their legal release, several individuals or their relatives, who were once masters of the Puroik people, continue to claim ownership of the land occupied by the freed Puroik families. This has created a significant hindrance to developmental activities in areas where Puroik people reside,” the representation to the state government reads.
While urging the state to identify and resolve such cases, the APWS emphasized that no freed bonded labourer should face land disputes from former masters or their relatives. Landlessness among the Puroik tribe is a major issue that remains unaddressed by the state, as most of them do not own land, which has been claimed from them in several villages. Several village regrouping projects and even model villages have failed to take landlessness into account when resettling them.
This issue needs to be dealt with sensitivity, as disputes over land can often lead to conflict.