five months after the murder of two social activists, Maheshkant and Sarita, in Gaya district of Bihar due to a village conflict, a similar danger threatens another social worker. Chandrabhushan Singh, mukhiya (head) of the Rauniya village panchayat in Khijarsarai block, is facing the consequences of renovating a tank in his village. Vibhuti Singh, a resident of Rauniya who has encroached on the tank, allegedly brought armed supporters to stall the renovation work on June 10, 2004.

"Fortunately, it rained heavily that day, preventing the armed men from finding us,' says Singh. He approached the district administration for help. The district magistrate (dm) instructed the Khijarsarai police station to investigate the matter and, if need be, provide police protection to labourers working at the tank site. But soon after, the dm got transferred. "Instead of providing protection, the station in-charge served a notice under section 144 of the Indian Penal Code to me,' complains Singh.

Over the past decade, the village has, under Singh's stewardship, revived its old floodwater irrigation system called ahar-pyne. This has contributed significantly to its prosperity. Under ahar-pyne system, a canal brings floodwater to a village tank, where it is stored for irrigation. The village panchayat also unanimously decided in 2003 to renovate the tank in question. On January 1, 2004, officials of the revenue department surveyed the area and confirmed that the concerned plot was indeed a pokhar (tank). But Vibhuti Singh wants to flatten the tank site and use it for other purposes.