Death in Police Custody

Land Reform THIS has reference to the article on land reforms by Ratan Ghosh (November 10, 1979). Trie author hit the nail on the head when he referred to the need for political commitment to bring structural changes in agrarian relations- The article makes a mention of setting up of committees of potential beneficiaries in villages to ensure the implementation of existing legislation. Taking the question of committees first, the topmost committee in all the states (probably with the exception of West Bengal and Kerala) is manned by ex- jamindars or big landholders and retired bureaucrats to whom land reform is an anathema. It is interesting to recall that as recently as in 1950 orders signed by these very bureaucrats were being passed and duly gazetted asking communists released on parole not to preach agrarian reforms.