The Forgotten Dalit Land Movement: A Struggle for Sovereignty and Land Rights in Postcolonial India

This study delves into the overlooked Dalit land movement in Haryana, India, from a postcolonial lens. In 1965, 3,000 acres of government land were allocated to landless Dalits, but dispossessed in 1973 for state projects, sparking a 113-day satyagraha. The Republican Party of India and leader Chaudhary Chand Ram mobilized 27,000 protestors in Delhi, facing mass arrests and casualties. The movement’s eventual success, secured by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1979, restored land ownership to Dalit tenants.

This movement represents resistance against internal colonialism, exemplifying struggles for sovereignty and autonomy within India’s postcolonial framework. It is a significant case of marginalized communities resisting dispossession and advocating for equitable land rights. Yet, the movement remains largely unrecognized, highlighting the necessity to decentralize perspectives on subalternity and power geographies.

By engaging with this history, the study contributes to broader discourses on social movements, intra-nation resistance, and the ongoing fight for socio-economic justice in postcolonial contexts. The movement also demonstrates a critical aspect of environmental and land colonialism, where state projects challenge the rights of marginalized communities. Such localized, decentralized struggles provide fresh perspectives on the historical and contemporary dynamics of power and dependency.