Over 500 Sikhs evacuated in MP; Punjab CM sends fact-finding team

With the Madhya Pradesh government’s drive against mafia and encroachments leading to the evacuation of more than 500 Sikhs in the tribal-dominated Karahal tehsil of Sheopur district, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday spoke to MP CM Kamal Nath on the issue besides sending a fact-finding delegation to the state.

Madhya Pradesh/ Punjab:A day after reports emerged of over 500 Sikhs being evicted from a scheduled tribal block in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday spoke to CM Kamal Nath on the issue besides sending a fact-finding delegation to the spot to ensure that the evacuees are not "rendered homeless" or otherwise "harassed".

The delegation will be led by Punjab Revenue Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar and MLAs Kuldpeep Vaid and Harminder Singh Gill, who in turn will be accompanied by bureaucrats including Deepinder Singh, Commissioner Patiala Division; Capt Karnail Singh, Director Land Records, and Narinder Singh Sangha Revenue Consultant, according to an official spokesperson.

During the dialogue with his MP counterpart, the Punjab Chief Minister requested the former to make alternate arrangements for the settlement of these 500 Sikhs.

Singh demanded either rehabilitation for the displaced Sikhs in the same area or the allotment of an alternate plot of land for their resettlement.

Nath assured Singh that his government would do everything possible to ensure that the Sikhs get their due and are not subjected to any harassment, said the spokesperson.

The Madhya Pradesh government’s drive against mafia and encroachments has led to the evacuation of more than 500 Sikhs in the tribal-dominated Karahal tehsil of Sheopur district, about 400 km north of Bhopal on the Rajasthan-MP border. They have been declared illegal occupants of land in the notified scheduled tribe block.