More than 180 families in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, along with a centuries old mosque (Noori Masjid), have received eviction notices from the Forest Department, despite community members claiming their roots in the area date back several generations, to the time when British authorities laid nearby railway lines.
The department has demanded a response within three days, warning that failure to comply will result in forced eviction and bulldozer action.
In response, hundreds of residents took to the streets, chanting slogans such as “Down with DFO Katarniaghat,” and traveled by bus to the office of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) in Bahraich.
Protesters asserted that they have been living in Bichhiya since before 1891 and possess documents that are more than a hundred years old.
They stated that over 114 residents have submitted claim forms in the Motipur tehsil, where verification is still pending at the tehsil level.
The demonstrators handed over a demand letter to Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Gaurav Ranjan Srivastava.
Divisional Forest Officer B. Shiv Shankar confirmed that the notices were issued under Section 61B and emphasized that residents must provide evidence of residence.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.