Chapparchiri (Mohali): Memories of the 2022 Latifpura displacement in Jalandhar have resurfaced as residents of Chapparchiri village in Punjab face a similar threat of eviction. The Punjab Panchayat Department has issued notices to approximately 200 residents, ordering them to vacate their homes under the claim that the structures are built on government-owned panchayat land. This move has triggered a wave of panic and anger among the villagers, leading to widespread protests against the state government.
Displaced families have voiced their frustration, asserting that the village was settled long before the Partition of India. Many residents claim that three generations of their families have lived in these homes for decades. They argue that if the settlement were truly illegal, the government would not have consistently provided development funds and basic infrastructure over the years. The sudden classification of their ancestral land as encroached property has been described by locals as a betrayal of the common citizen.
The situation mirrors the controversial Latifpura incident where nearly 50 families were uprooted from homes they had occupied for a century. During that drive, several houses were demolished amidst heavy police presence, leading to a year-long protest by human rights activists and local farmers’ unions. Fearing a repeat of such a crackdown, the people of Chapparchiri are now mobilizing to challenge the legal basis of the eviction notices.
Local leaders have questioned the timing of the notices and are demanding that the state government regularize the land instead of uprooting hundreds of people. As tensions rise, the administration has yet to provide a roadmap for the rehabilitation of those who might be displaced, further fueling the unrest within the community.
