HC order brings relief to Santals

Thursday's High Court order has given way to a relaxed atmosphere at Santal villages in Madarpur and Joypurpara areas of Gobindaganj upazila.

In its November 17 order the HC asked the authorities concerned to allow the Santal families to harvest paddy from the farmland belonging to Rangpur Sugar Mills.

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Furthermore, the court directed the government to ensure security and free movement of the Santals in the upazila.

However, despite the court order many members of the indigenous community are still unsure of what the future holds for them.

"We don't know how we would be able to harvest the paddy from the Sahebganj sugarcane farm as the mill authorities by this time have installed barbed wire fence around the farm," said Rafayel Hasda, a local Santal leader.

When contacted, Abdul Awal, managing director of the sugar mill, said they would ask genuine owners to harvest their crops after it is fully ripe.

Four months ago, on July 1, indigenous people occupied around 100 acres of land inside Sahebganj sugarcane farm owned by Rangpur Sugar Mills and built makeshift sheds and homes on the plea that the land belonged to their forefathers.

On November 6, police reportedly opened fire and lobbed teargas shells during an eviction drive at Sahebganj sugarcane farm, leaving two Santals dead and several others injured.

In protest, the Santals fired arrows at police personnel and mill workers, who joined the eviction drive. At least 25 people, including nine policemen, were wounded.

Around 1,200 families of the indigenous community were evicted during the drive from the farmland where they had cultivated aman rice.

The HC order came in response to a writ petition filed on November 17 by three rights organizations -- Ain O Salish Kendra, Brotee, and Association for Land Reform and Development.

In the writ, the petitioners sought HC directives upon the government to ensure security of lives and properties of the Santals.

In its order the HC bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath issued a rule upon the authorities to explain in two weeks why their inaction regarding protection of lives and properties of the Santals should not be declared illegal.

The HC bench also fixed November 30 for further hearing on the matter.

BNP DELEGATION VISITS GOBINDAGANJ

A nine-member delegation of BNP, led by BNP chairperson's adviser Joynul Abedin Faruk, yesterday visited Madarpur and Joypurpara areas of Gobindaganj.

The delegation distributed sarees, lungis and other relief materials among the evicted Santal families.

Joynul told reporters that local leaders of the ruling party, assisted by police, were involved in the killings and eviction of the Santal community.

Demanding judicial inquiry into the incident, Joynul said the government should take stern action so no criminal involved in the atrocities is spared.

Nobody, including members of the ethnic communities, is safe under the Awami League government, he added.

Former minister Asadul Habib, Gaibandha BNP president Anisuzzaman Khan, Shushil Barua, Amalendu Das and Abdul Mannan Mandol were present among the central and local BNP leaders during the visit.