23 Gaibandha Santals get HC bail

The High Court today granted anticipatory bail to 33 people including 23 Santals of Gaibandha's Gobindaganj for eight weeks in a case filed on charge of attacking police on November 6.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice JBM Hassan came up with the order of bail after hearing a petition filed by the accused seeking bail in the case.

The accused petitioners appeared before the High Court seeking anticipatory bail as they fear that they will be arrested before reaching the lower court concerned to surrender in connection with the case, Abu Obaidur Rahman, a lawyer for the petitioners, told The Daily Star.

Police filed the case with Gobindaganj Police Station against 42 known people and 300 to 400 unknown people after the incident of clash between Santal people and the staff of Rangpur Sugar Mills on November 6.

That day, police along with staff of the mill reportedly clashed with the ethnic minorities during a drive to evict them from around 100 acres of the sugarcane farm, which had been acquired from the ancestors of the indigenous community. Santals now want the land in Gobindaganj back saying an agreement signed in 1962 after the land acquirement was violated.

The clash left two Santals dead, six missing and 20 others, including nine policemen, injured.

Meanwhile on November 26, Santals of Gaibandha filed a case against 33, including a local Awami League lawmaker Principal Abul Kalam Azad  and the UNO of Gobindaganj Abdul Hannan on charge of "ordering" an attack on the indigenous community on November 6.