What steps taken to rehabilitate evicted Santals

The High Court yesterday wanted to know what steps have been taken to rehabilitate the evicted Santal people of Gobindaganj upazila in Gaibandha.

It ordered the Gaibandha deputy commissioner and the Gobindaganj upazila nirbahi officer to submit a report to the court on the steps taken for the rehabilitation of evicted Santals within two weeks.   

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The HC also issued a rule asking the government to explain within two weeks as to why they should not be directed to rehabilitate the indigenous community who became landless after an eviction drive on November 6 last year.

Land secretary, Gaibandha's DC and Gobindaganj UNO and officer-in-charge of Gobindaganj Police Station have been made respondents to the rule.  

The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Haque and Justice Mohammad Ullah came up with the order and rule on a suo moto move during hearing an earlier rule issued over the legality of damaging evidence of torching the Santal houses, Deputy Attorney General Tapas Kumar Biswas told The Daily Star.

Following a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Suprokash Datta, the same bench issued a rule on January 8. 

In the rule, it asked the government and police to explain why their inaction to initiate legal action against the managing director of Rangpur Sugar Mills in Gaibandha under the penal code for destroying the evidence should not be declared illegal.

The court also asked the managing director to submit a report to it on the reasons for destroying the evidence of setting fire to the Santal houses on November 6 last year.

Yesterday, Rangpur Sugar Mills' lawyer AM Masum submitted a compliance report to the HC, saying that the mill authorities have taken necessary legal steps against illegal occupation of the government land for producing sugarcane on the land.

Barrister Masum told The Daily Star that the HC will hold a hearing on the issue after getting compliance report from the Gaibandha DC and the Gobindaganj UNO.