Mill authorities harvesting paddy for Gaibandha Santals

Complying with a High Court order, the authorities of Rangpur Sugar Mills Ltd today started harvesting paddy from the land of Santals in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha.

In the morning, Upazila Nirbahi Office of Gobindaganj Abdul Hannan asked the Santal leaders to harvest the paddy on their land. But the Ethnic group refused the proposal and demanded immediate withdrawal of the criminal cases filed against them and removal of the barbed wire fence constructed by the mill authorities on their land.

The authorities started harvesting the paddy on their own around 11:30am, complying with the HC order, our Gaibandha correspondent reports quoting the UNO.

The administration will process the rice and hand over to the evicted Santal families, the UNO said.

The High Court on November 17 asked the authorities concerned to allow the indigenous families to harvest paddy from their land.

They are now imposing fresh conditions, said the UNO adding, "Now they have refused to cut the paddy on their own, we are harvesting the rice following the HC order".

If anyone already harvested the paddy of Santals' land, the local administration will take steps to return the crop to them, the HC said in its order.

On November 6, police fired and lobbed teargas shells during an eviction drive at the Shahebganj sugarcane farm leaving two Santals killed and several others injured. Protesting the eviction, Santals at the time shot arrows at police and mill labourer injuring 25 people, including policemen.