THE prices of essential commodities have sky-rocketed; no work is available under MNREGA in the villages; the means of livelihood of the peasants have shrunk due to drought; and over and above this, ration grains too are not being distributed. Women face harassment in the government hospital. These factors led to tremendous unrest and anger amongst women in the Dahanu tehsil of Palghar district. Many memoranda were submitted to the officials and discussions held on the atrocious functioning of the PDS. But to no avail. The administration refused to take any action against the racket of corrupt ration shop owners and their protectors in the government, who were looting lakhs of rupees through diversion of ration grains to the black market.  

The AIDWA Palghar-Thane district committee decided to organise a militant agitation for the implementation of the Food Security Act. Preparations for the same started. Holding village-level women’s meetings, proofs of the corrupt practices in the PDS were collected. Hundreds of proofs were collected of those priority family beneficiaries who had not received their grains at all for the past 3-4 months; those who had not received their quota of grains of 5 Kg per person; and those who should have been included in the priority family list but were excluded.

November 28, 2015 was the 125th death anniversary of the legendary social reformer Mahatma Jotirao Phule, a champion of the struggle for women’s emancipation and for social justice against caste oppression. AIDWA decided to observe the day by blowing the bugle of struggle against injustice on the exploited sections. Government offices were closed on November 28, which was the fourth Saturday of the month. Hence it was decided to lay siege to the Dahanu Sub-Divisional Office (SDO) on November 27.

More than 2,000 women from 46 villages and five municipal wards marched to the SDO office, broke the police cordon and stormed the SDO office. An overwhelming number of women were adivasis. The entire SDO office was full of women and it reverberated with slogans demanding immediate arrest of the corrupt ration shop owners and concerned government officials responsible for black-marketeering of the entire lapsed quota of the grain. Revolutionary songs were sung. The SDO – a woman herself – disappeared from the office under the pretext of a meeting with the collector.

The women resolutely warned that they would not lift their siege nor allow any of the officials and staff to leave the premises till the grains were distributed. The officials were shaken by the determination of the agitating women. The SDO rang up and started pleading with AIDWA to lift the siege and gave assurances about taking steps to distribute the grains. The women clearly told her that the days of talks and discussions are over and demanded immediate distribution of grains.

Finally, after a four hour militant gherao in which none of the officials were allowed to leave, the SDO was forced to issue orders for the distribution of grains from the night of November 27 itself. But, having a long experience of the cunningness of the ration shop keepers, AIDWA declared that if any ration shop is closed, women will break open the locks, distribute the grains according to the quota and leave the money for the grains distributed in the shop. The officials got terrified of this and sent a warning to the shop keepers to keep their shops open and distribute the lapsed quota of grains.

Women went straight to the ration shops in their villages after the gherao was lifted and the distribution of thousands of quintals of grains started from that evening itself. It was a great victory for the prolonged struggle that was waged by AIDWA on this issue. It enthused the women who realised for themselves that united and militant mass struggle leads to success.

The superintendent of the Dahanu Rural Hospital and the health officer from the panchayat samiti were also present in the SDO office. Money is demanded from the poor patients in the rural hospital and they are treated very rudely. The sonography machine in the hospital is not used and the women are forced to spend large amounts to get sonography tests done in private clinics. The health officer promised to immediately start inquiries into all these complaints and give his report within a week.

The SDO called the AIDWA delegation on December 1 to discuss further action on the ration and health issues. She assured the delegation that she will herself conduct the inquiry and fixed the dates of village meetings to inspect the ration shops, look into the complaints of women and continue the distribution of all the lapsed quota of grains. AIDWA has planned to hold a jansunwai (public hearing) on health issues in Dahanu soon.

AIDWA state president Mariam Dhawale, district president Lahani Dauda and district joint secretary Heena Vanga led the siege and addressed the women. District joint secretary Mary Ravte, district vice president Kamal Vanle, and main activists Rupali Rathod, Kusum Thakre, Meena Gahala, Sarita Bhavar and Savita Varkhande were amongst the AIDWA leaders who worked hard to make this struggle a success.