Ramesh Solanki, 40

Chikalda village, Badwani district

SITTING INSIDE her house in Chikalda village, Kalabai, 35, breaks down at the mention of her husband. “They came and took him away as if he was some criminal. They took away some papers from here and did not explain anything. I have no idea how my two children and I will survive this,’’ she says.

As villagers try to calm her, she says, “You won’t understand. Only a woman who has gone through something like this will know...’’

Over 45 days ago, her husband, Ramesh Solanki, 40, was arrested by the Badwani police for his alleged involvement in a fake registry scandal. The scandal, which first came to light in 2007, had farmers in Badwani, Khargone and Dhar districts allegedly colluding with brokers and government officials to strike land deals that existed only on paper. In order to get the second installment of the Special Rehabilitation Package, farmers had to buy land and produce registration papers as proof. But many allegedly produced fake

documents and claimed the money.

Ramesh had taken the first installment of a little over Rs 2.80 lakh. The family of three brothers owned 7 acres in all and each adult male member was eligible to claim compensation. While his brothers bought nine acres, Ramesh didn't. He claimed the second installment of around 2.79 lakh after allegedly producing fake registering papers for a plot of land he bought in Bagli, Dewas district.

Over six years ago, the government instituted a judicial inquiry into the scandal. The final report of the Justice S S Jha Commission is yet to become public.

Kalabai and her relatives claim brokers and government official cheated poor, illiterate farmers by getting them to put their thumb impressions on papers. Ramesh is now in Bagli jail in the state’s Dewas district. “I have not met him since they took him away. I don’t even have money to go there,’’ she says. She has one other regret. “He was hungry when the police came but they did not even let him have food.”

1961:

Then PM Jawaharlal Nehru lays the foundation stone for the Sardar Sarovar dam at Navagam in Gujarat

1963:

As part of the Bhopal Agreement, then Union irrigation minister and CMS of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh agree on dam height

1968-69:

Gujarat complains to the Centre about the Narmada water dispute; Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT) formed

1985:

Madhya Pradesh constitutes Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA); Medha Patkar begins agitation

1993-94:

World Bank withdraws funding for Sardar Sarovar dam; Narmada Bachao Andolan files PIL in SC to stop work and review project

2000:

Supreme Court allows construction of dam up to full level

2005:

SC orders for adult sons of families affected by the project to be given minimum two hectares of agricultural land

2008:

Justice S S Jha commission set up to probe fake land sale registries and rehabilitation issues

2014:

Narmada Control Authority allows dam height to be raised to 138.68 m

2017:

SC orders payment of Rs 60 lakh each to 681 families which had refused compensation for the property acquired by the government; rules authorities can evict families if they don’t vacate area by July 31

Police arrested Kalabai’s husband, Ramesh Solanki, because he allegedly produced fake registration papers for land he never bought. So far, police say, nearly 3,000 fake registries have been detected in Badwani, Khargone and Dhar districts