Politicians return every election, but promises of land titles remain unfulfilled

Freed Kamaiyas in Sani Ambapur, Dang, say for years they have been paying taxes on land they do not legally own.

Tin roofs of the ageing huts at the freed Kamaiya (indentured labourer) camp in Sani Ambapur are coated in dust from the unfinished Ghorahi-Tulsipur road. Children play beside mounds of gravel and sand that have lain for road construction, while women sit outside sorting leafy greens for the evening meal. Beyond the bustle of election season, the promise made repeatedly remains unfulfilled—land ownership certificates.