A long-running dispute over forest land between tribal communities from Sagbara in Narmada district and Umarpada in Surat district has intensified, with villagers from 12 Sagbara villages staging a protest for the right to cultivate land they say they have farmed for nearly two decades.
For the past 10 days, 52-year-old Leela Vasava, along with other villagers, has been sitting on a relay fast under a tarpaulin tent in the fields. The protesters are demanding access to around 3,000 acres of forest land in Umarpada taluka.
The dispute has become more complicated because residents of Umarpada also claim rights over the same land. A violent incident in June 2024, involving the rape and murder of a minor, further strained relations between the two communities.
Protest in the Middle of the Fields
The protest site lies in a meadow between Narmada and Surat districts. During the monsoon, the boundary between the two areas becomes difficult to distinguish, with crops spreading across the landscape.
Under a temporary tarpaulin shelter, Leela keeps a file of documents related to the land dispute as supporters sit around her.
Leela, a former BJP leader and former president of the Sagbara taluka panchayat, says the community was removed from the fields in late 2024 after the Forest Department declared them ineligible to cultivate the land.
She claims the villagers have been cultivating the area since around 2002 and believe they are protected under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
Two Communities Claim the Same Land
At the heart of the dispute is approximately 1,200 acres of contested land, although the Sagbara protesters’ broader demand covers around 3,000 acres.
Sagbara villagers argue that they have traditionally cultivated the land and have a right to it under the FRA.
Umarpada residents, however, say the land belongs to them and point to their own history of displacement.
According to Umarpada residents, their community was displaced when the Ukai Dam project on the Tapi River was developed in 1972. They argue that the disputed land should be available to those displaced by the project.
“We are displaced people and the land is rightfully ours,” a Umarpada resident said.
Forest Department Questions Sagbara Claim
The Forest Department has taken a cautious position in the dispute.
Surat Assistant Conservator of Forests Gaurav Lodha said the contested 1,200 acres fall within Umarpada and that villagers from Sagbara have so far been unable to establish their claim.
He also disputed the claim that Sagbara villagers had been cultivating the land continuously since 2002, saying that satellite imagery does not support the claim.
According to the Forest Department, Umarpada villagers approached officials alleging that people from outside their area were cultivating the land. Following this complaint, the department took action in November 2024.
A fence has since been erected between Sagbara and Umarpada to prevent further confrontation, while police personnel have been deployed in the area.
2024 Crime Deepened the Tensions
The dispute took a more serious turn following the rape and murder of a minor from the area in June 2024.
The accused in that case was arrested from Sagbara.
The incident intensified tensions between residents of the two talukas. Sagbara villagers say the events surrounding the case contributed to the breakdown of an earlier understanding between the communities.
Leela claims that villagers from Sagbara and Umarpada had maintained an arrangement over the land for years and that the situation remained peaceful until 2024.
She has also said that she resigned from the BJP over the land dispute.
Old Gram Sabha Resolution Under Dispute
Sagbara villagers have cited an old gram sabha resolution from Umarpada in support of their claim to the land.
However, residents of Umarpada have filed a police complaint alleging that the resolution was forged.
The allegation has added another layer to the already complicated dispute.
The validity of the document and the competing claims are now part of the larger legal and administrative process.
What Does the Forest Rights Act Say?
The Forest Rights Act of 2006 recognises certain land and forest-resource rights of forest-dwelling tribal communities.
However, simply having cultivated forest land for a long period does not automatically give a person legal ownership or a recognised forest right.
Under the law, claimants must meet specific eligibility conditions. One of the important requirements is that the claimant must have been occupying the forest land before December 13, 2005, subject to the applicable provisions of the Act.
Claims are first considered by the gram sabha and are then reviewed by higher-level committees, including sub-divisional and district-level committees, before a final decision is made.
This process is at the centre of the competing claims being made by the two communities.
Villagers Approach High Court
Sagbara residents have been trying to challenge the action that prevented them from continuing cultivation.
They have approached several government authorities and have also moved the Gujarat High Court seeking relief.
The protesters are demanding that their claim to cultivate the land be examined and that they be allowed to return to the fields.
On July 30, the dispute also saw a confrontation in which Sagbara villagers allegedly attacked Forest Department personnel, accusing officials of siding with Umarpada.
The situation remains tense, prompting authorities to maintain a physical separation between the two sides.
Political Leaders Join the Protest
The land dispute has also attracted political attention.
Several political leaders have visited the protest site and expressed support for the tribal protesters.
Those who have reportedly visited or extended support include BJP MP Mansukhbhai Vasava, BJP MLA Darshana Deshmukh, Congress Legislature Party leader Tushar Chaudhary, Vansda MLA Anant Patel and former Opposition Leader Sukhram Rathwa, along with other tribal leaders.
Their involvement has brought greater political focus to a dispute that began as a local conflict over forest cultivation rights.
A Dispute With No Easy Answer
The conflict between Sagbara and Umarpada is not simply a question of who has been farming the land more recently.
It involves competing claims based on traditional cultivation, tribal rights, displacement, forest laws and administrative boundaries. The 2024 criminal case and allegations surrounding the old gram sabha resolution have further damaged relations between the communities.
For Sagbara villagers, the issue is about protecting what they say is their long-standing livelihood and their rights under the Forest Rights Act.
For Umarpada residents, the claim is linked to their history as people displaced by the Ukai Dam project and their belief that the land should be available to them.
The Forest Department, meanwhile, says the Sagbara claim has not yet been established and that available satellite evidence does not support the claim of cultivation since 2002.
With the two communities asserting competing rights and the matter already reaching the courts, the final decision will depend on documentary evidence, the legal status of the land and the outcome of the relevant administrative and judicial proceedings.
For now, the protest continues under the tarpaulin shelter in the fields, while a fence and police presence mark the increasingly sensitive boundary between Sagbara and Umarpada.
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