44 acres of tribal land taken over by industry:Farmers claim authorities violated norms, converted agricultural land into Nazool category

In a major controversy, twenty-nine tribal families in Indore alleged that the district administration has taken away their ancestral farmland and handed it to a private company—without following the law or even telling them first. The families claim they’ve lost their only source of income and have been forced to work as daily wage labourers just to survive. Now, they’re fighting back in court. The land was theirs for nearly 50 years The trouble centres on about 44 acres of land near Pithampur, in an area called Kali Billod. Back in 1976, the government gave this land to 29 Scheduled Tribe families as part of a welfare programme. The families were living on forest land at the time, and the government officially recognised them as owners. They received proper documents from the revenue department confirming the land was theirs. How did the land get taken away? The farmers say officials manipulated the land records. They claim inheritance details weren’t properly recorded, and someone deliberately changed the official papers to make it look like the land belonged to the government instead.
In March 2025, the land was first transferred to a government body called the Industrial Centre Development Corporation. Shortly after, it was leased to a company named Shakti Pumps Industries. Evicted without warning The farmers say they were given no notice and no chance to defend themselves. One day, officials from the district administration turned up with police officers and company representatives, demanding they leave immediately.
Sixteen of the affected families have now filed a criminal complaint in a Special SC/ST Court, saying what happened to them was illegal. What the courts are doing Senior lawyer Neeraj Soni is representing the farmers. He says the court has ordered senior revenue officials to explain themselves. The farmers have also filed a case in the High Court, asking judges to cancel the collector’s order that took away their land. The Special SC/ST Court heard the complaint on 6 April 2026 and has asked the Revenue Commissioner to submit a detailed report by 26 June. Laws were broken, farmers say Farmers like Chunni Lal Dangi, Bane Singh Bhalla, Sakarama, and Mangilal Jogadia say important protections for tribal communities were ignored. Under laws like the SC/ST Act and the PESA Act, tribal land can only be taken in very rare cases—and even then, the villagers must be consulted first. None of that happened here, they argue. Threats and Intimidation The farmers also say they were bullied and threatened by police and revenue officials who came to force them off the land. Some claim they were verbally abused and warned not to resist. Their lawyer says if the allegations are true, officials could face serious criminal charges including fraud, forgery, and conspiracy.