Gadwal: Leaders of various people’s organizations submitted a representation to the District Collector on Thursday, demanding immediate intervention to resolve long-pending land disputes in Elkuru village of Maldakal mandal.

The move comes in the wake of an attack on a villager named Mahesh, which has drawn widespread condemnation from community groups. Leaders alleged that the incident was the outcome of unresolved land disputes, corruption, and negligence on the part of revenue officials.

According to the representation, Elkuru village has been facing serious issues related to Scheduled Caste land ownership and Inam lands. Around 200 acres of Inam land have not yet been regularized with proper pattas and passbooks for the rightful beneficiaries. Instead, leaders claimed, revenue officials have colluded with influential persons and facilitated illegal allocations, while denying legitimate rights to poor families.

“This negligence, corruption, and favoritism of revenue officials have been fueling continuous conflicts in the village,” the people’s representatives stated. They warned that if the disputes were not resolved with special attention and an impartial investigation, there was a strong possibility of renewed clashes and violent group rivalries similar to those seen in the past.

The leaders particularly highlighted that Dalit families were being subjected to caste-based discrimination and violent attacks, and demanded immediate steps to put an end to such atrocities. They urged the district administration to launch a special civil rights campaign in the village to safeguard the rights of marginalized communities and restore peace.

A large number of villagers, social activists, democratic leaders, and representatives of caste-based associations participated in the protest and submission of the petition to the Collector, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.