Women inspiring others to come up and fight for rights …
JamibenRaghubhai is a resident of Lekhambha village. She has three daughters and her husband died 25 years ago. She has three brother-in-laws and the land is in combined name of all. She associated herself with Sanand Mahila Vikas Sangathan after the death of her husband.
Land of area 2.5 acre was on the name of his husband in which she wasn’t even allowed to farm and later by the way of forging signature on papers of that land they (her family members) bought a tractor on installments. When the seller of the tractor came to Jamiben to take installment money at that time she came to know that a tractor was bought on credit on her husband’s land. Due to this a series of heated arguments took place between her and her family members, her brother-in-law hit her and she hit her in self-defence. She then filed a case in Sanand Police Station and immediately went to doctor. Doctor refused to give medical certificate until police arrives. She got certificate after the police arrived. Then she went to police station where police took actions against her brother-in-law and then he was released. They weren’t giving or showing her any documents. Through Sangathan she got the information about Varsaai and when she asked her brother-in-law to enter her name in her husband’s land but he refused saying that she has three daughters than what is the necessity of her having name in land. Sangathan taught the importance of having name of daughters in land. When she didn’t get papers from her brother-in-law, she herself collected all the papers and get her and her daughter’s name in the land.
With the help of Sangathan and her own struggle she got her and her daughter’s name in land. By staying connected with the sangathan she came to know about different land schemes and different farming techniques. She started living an independent life. By the income she earned from her land she used to run her house and also got her daughters married. By her own struggle she not only get her name in the land but also her brother in law asks her opinion before taking any decision on land.
All the paralegal workers of Sanstha altogether went to Police Station and jointly worked for Jamiben. Through this case they became self-sufficient that they can themselves go to Police Station and can carry on the process. This case set an example for other women and inspired 5 other women to come up and fight for their rights.
This story was submitted by the Sanand Mahila Vikas Sangathan