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In the late 15th century, Guru Nanak founded Sikhism, a monotheistic religion that emerged in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent.

He preached that all people were equal in the eyes of God, regardless of their caste or social status. This was a radical departure from the caste system, which stratified society into four categories and excluded the “dalits,” or “untouchables,” from mainstream society.

Dalits were historically treated as impure and forced to work in occupations that were considered polluting or debased, such as working with leather, disposing of dead animals, manual scavenging or sanitation work.

In contemporary India, the vast majority of dalits reside in rural areas, where agriculture serves as the primary occupation. Yet, economic exploitation and landlessness continue to plague the community, with most members functioning as marginal farmers or laborers.

The caste system’s legacy has prohibited dalits from owning land nationwide, and this pattern remains prominent in India’s Sikh-majority state of Punjab, which has a population of about 30 million. Despite accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of Punjab’s population, Dalits own a mere 3.5% of private land. Meanwhile, the dominant agricultural jat caste, which comprises 20% of the state’s population, holds over 80% of the land.

The Punjab Occupancy Tenants (Vesting of Proprietary Rights) Act of 1952 was enacted with the aim of providing land to tenants and landless farmers, including those from the dalit community, by facilitating the acquisition of land from landlords and distributing it to those in need. However, despite the law’s existence, its implementation on the ground has been lacking.

Furthermore, the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Rules of 1964 stipulated that one-third of “panchayat” land (village common land) must be leased exclusively to dalits. Nevertheless, many upper-caste landlords have found ways to bypass this regulation by acquiring land in the name of their dalit proxies, thereby depriving dalits of their rightful access to these lands.

 Gurwinder Singh is a dalit Sikh in Bauran Kala village of Punjab state. His family has a history of working as bonded laborers, known as “seeris,” for landowning farmers. His father, now 65 years old, is still working as a dung-rubbish picker, a job predominantly done by dalit Sikhs who are landless and impoverished. 

Gurwinder said that even after more than 60 years of implementation of land reform laws, the dalit Sikhs of his village, including himself, were unaware that such a law existed. When he became aware with the help of an organization called the Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee, he was shocked to see how in his village, upper-caste landlords managed to bypass this regulation by acquiring land in the name of proxy dalit candidates, thereby depriving dalits of their rightful access to these lands. 

In recent years, the assertion of land rights has often led to grave violence in Punjab. In 2016, clashes broke out between dalits and big farmers in the Jhaloor village of Sangrur district over the leasing of common land, causing the death of a dalit woman, Gurdev Kaur, in her 70s.

Despite the dangers, Gurwinder decided to fight against it and access to even the meager land has proved to be a boon for people like Gurwinder. 

Gurwinder sees the opposition they face as a reflection of societal inequality and injustice towards dalit Sikhs, which contradicts Sikhism’s principles of equality irrespective of race, gender, caste or social status.

Surabhi Singh is a journalist and documentary filmmaker with Newsreel Asia. Previously she worked with Stories Asia. Singh is a graduate from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.