The Santals lost land the most

Among all the plain land indigenous communities in Bangladesh, the Santals have lost their land most, says a book by an expert.

During their last three generations, around four lakh Santals lost over three lakh bighas (116,400 acres) of land. The properties are worth Tk 5,114 crore at 2014 prices, says Prof Abul Barkat in the book, titled “Political Economy of Unpeopling of Indigenous Peoples: The Case of Bangladesh”.

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The book based on the studies on ten indigenous communities living on the plain land, has not been launched yet.

“Among the indigenous people, Santals are the biggest loser when it comes to losing land. Their number is high and their land is easy target for everybody,” Barkat told The Daily Star.

Currently, some 75 percent of the total Santal population is landless, and half of them do not have their own home.

Among the indigenous communities, Patro, Pahan and Santal people are the ones who are becoming landless the fastest, reads the book.

“During their last three generations [up to 2008], the estimated total amount of land lost by the Santal community would be about 116,400 acres, which is 58 percent of the total land dispossessed by the ten-surveyed plain-land indigenous communities,” reads the book.

But no government has ever distributed any khas land among them, it says.

 Asked, Barkat said the government acquires their land in many cases but in most cases, they are grabbed by Bangalis with fake documents.

The book says undue political influence by some locals, cultural hegemony and the ignorance of the Santals are reasons for their losing their land.

Santals are living in 14 districts, including Bogra, Chapainawabganj, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, Moulvibazar, Naogaon, Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Sirajganj, Tangail and Thakurgaon.

The other indigenous communities who were studied for the book were Garo, Hajong, Oraon, Rakhine, Dalu, Khasi, Patro, Pahan and Mahato.