Atrocity awareness and grazing land rights conference to be held in city

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

To mark the fifth anniversary of the Ambedkarwadi Sangharsh Samiti, a conference on Atrocity Awareness and Grazing Land Rights will be held on Thursday, May 14, at 1 pm at the Maulana Azad Research Center.

The event aims to highlight issues faced by marginalized communities and mobilize collective action. According to the committee’s president, Shravan Gaikwad, certain officials in the revenue and police departments are allegedly misinterpreting court rulings, thereby weakening the provisions of the Atrocity Act, which is meant to protect Scheduled Castes and Tribes. He also pointed out that families from backward communities, who have been residing on government grazing land for over four decades, are now being evicted under the pretext of solar power projects. These lands are reportedly being transferred to the electricity board on nominal leases, pushing the affected poor into homelessness and destitution. The event will begin with tributes to Dhammasenani G. S. Kamble on his birth anniversary. The first session will focus on Atrocity Awareness, with Police Commissioner Pravin Pawar inaugurating the proceedings. Retired District and Sessions Judge D. J. Shegokar will chair the session. Balaji Sontakke will deliver the keynote address, while Advocate Rajesh Kale will serve as the chief speaker. The second session will center on Grazing Land Rights. It will be inaugurated by Principal Sunil Wakekar and chaired by Shravan Gaikwad. Divisional deputy commissioner Anant Gawhane will offer guidance as the principal resource person. The organizers have extended an open invitation to citizens, urging widespread participation in the interest of justice, awareness, and community rights.