By Team Clarion
RAIPUR — A land dispute involving dozens of Muslim families of Rajakatel village in Surguja district, Chhattisgarh, has reached the revenue court after authorities issued notices asking residents to explain how they obtained land in the area.
The case has been registered in the court of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Udaipur under Section 170B of the Chhattisgarh Land Revenue Code. The law allows officials to check whether land belonging to tribal communities has been transferred illegally to non-tribal persons.
The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for 20 March, when several Muslim families will be required to appear before the court and submit documents related to their settlement.
However, many Muslim residents say the case is deeply worrying for them and their families. They claim they have lived in the area peacefully for decades and are now being portrayed as outsiders who took land illegally.
Residents and community representatives also allege that the matter is being turned into a political and communal issue.
Muslim residents say their presence in Rajakatel village goes back many years.
According to people living in the settlement, the first few Muslim families arrived in the area around 1987 while travelling for small trade activities such as selling goats, bangles, and household items.
Over time, relatives and acquaintances from Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal joined them and gradually settled in the area.
Today, around 80 to 90 Muslim families are believed to be living in Rajakatel and nearby areas.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.