Now with the country warming up for new CA elections, old memory haunts Rawat. [break]“Then, I was helpless as they had threatened to kill me if we did not vote for their party,” said Rawat, adding, "They would frequently visit our doors and threaten us to vote for their party or face consequences."
"I hope this we won´t have to face such threat during the upcoming elections and we will be able to vote for the candidates of our choice," he said.
Another squatter from the same settlement, Post Bahadur BK, also echoed Rawat. He said the wants the upcoming elections to be free and fair. "I hope we won´t have to face any kind of threats or hassles while casting votes,” said BK.
Meanwhile, Rawat shared that this time he won´t tolerate any torments and is prepared to endure all the suffering to cast vote freely. “I will face bullets but won´t compromise on my choice of candidates,” said Rawat boldly,” Let´s hope the government will create safe atmosphere for people to vote freely,” he added.
The squatters said they hope a successful election will bring them ownership of the land they now occupy.
Government records show that there are around 5,656 landless squatters in the district.
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