Punjab’s Dalit-majority village invokes constitutional powers, questions silence of state institutions
THE GRAM SABHA of Sekhonwal, a Dalit-majority village in Punjab, has reasserted its constitutional authority by unanimously directing the Punjab and Union governments to immediately begin the process of restoring Panchayat land taken for the now-cancelled Mattewara Industrial Project.
Gram Sabha resolution recorded in the Panchayat proceedings register.
The resolution, passed in a special Gram Sabha meeting held on December 9, also seeks compensation and action over the destruction of standing crops on 53 killa of village land during a recent administrative drive.
The decision has renewed a long-running debate over the erosion of Panchayati Raj institutions and the gap between political promises of grassroots empowerment and their implementation on the ground.
For the residents of Sekhonwal, the issue is not only about land but about dignity, democracy and the constitutional status of Gram Sabhas.
When a Gram Sabha’s Mandate Was Overridden
The special meeting was convened under the chairpersonship of Sarpanch Balwinder Kaur after a requisition signed by Gram Sabha members was submitted to the BDPO on November 26.
Sekhonwal Gram Sabha members raise hands during the December 9 meeting.
Despite due notice, no official from the district administration or Panchayat department attended the meeting.
The Panchayat Secretary did not appear but handed over the proceedings register, after which the Gram Sabha authorised local resident Tajinder Singh to record the proceedings.
During the meeting, the Gram Sabha recalled that on July 21, 2020, it had unanimously resolved not to sell Panchayat land and had explicitly barred any industrial project from being set up on it.
Villagers sign the Gram Sabha resolution register.
Villagers allege that despite this binding resolution, the land was forcibly registered on September 21, 2020, in favour of the Mattewara Industrial Park at 7:08 pm, well beyond official working hours. They describe the move as an illegal and coercive act that violated both the spirit and letter of the Panchayati Raj Act.
The villagers also questioned why institutions that frequently speak in the name of social justice remained silent when a 100 per cent Dalit village clearly refused to part with its common land. Many residents see this silence as emblematic of how democratic institutions often fail the poorest when powerful commercial interests are involved.
Cancelled Project, Unkept Promise
Public gathering during the Mattewara project protest in July 2022.
Public resistance reached a peak in July 2022, when large-scale mobilisation forced the state to respond.
On July 11, 2022, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced the cancellation of the Mattewara Industrial Project and stated that the land taken from villages would be returned to the respective Gram Panchayats.
However, more than three years later, Sekhonwal villagers say the land has still not been restored.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann with Mattewara project protesters in 2022
Their anger intensified after an administrative action on November 28, 2025, during which standing crops on 53 killa of agricultural land were allegedly destroyed under the claim of forest department possession.
The Gram Sabha has termed the action unjustified and demanded compensation as well as accountability for those responsible.
Pages from the Sekhonwal Gram Sabha resolution record.
In its resolution, the Gram Sabha directed that the land restoration process be initiated without delay and that the Panchayat land be formally re-entered in revenue records under the ownership of Gram Panchayat Sekhonwal.
Copies of the resolution have been sent to the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, the Governor of Punjab, the Chief Minister, the Leader of Opposition in Punjab, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and the state and national Scheduled Castes Commissions.
Swaraj on Paper, Swaraj on the Ground
For many observers, Sekhonwal’s struggle highlights a deeper contradiction in contemporary politics.
Swaraj by Arvind Kejriwal on grassroots democracy.
The idea of decentralised power and village self-rule has been repeatedly invoked by political leaders across parties. Notably, Swaraj, the book authored by SAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, strongly advocated empowering Gram Sabhas and placing real decision-making authority in the hands of people at the grassroots.
Yet, villagers argue, the experience of Sekhonwal exposes how these ideals often collapse when land and corporate-backed projects enter the picture. Supporters of the movement compare the village’s fight to broader struggles across India for jal, jangal, zameen, where marginalised communities resist displacement in the name of development.
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As of December 15, no official response has been issued by the Punjab government regarding the Gram Sabha’s latest directive. The residents of Sekhonwal say they will continue their democratic and legal struggle until their Panchayat land is restored.
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For them, the raised hands of the Gram Sabha are more than a symbolic gesture. They represent a test of whether India’s constitutional promise of village democracy — repeatedly celebrated in speeches and books — still holds meaning on the ground. 
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Gangveer Singh Rathour
Social activist and writer on Punjab’s environmental and cultural issues.
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