Still in fear, Santals adamant on getting back their land

Fear and uncertainty continue to haunt Santal families following a clash with sugar mill workers over a land dispute in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha district on November 6. After being evicted from their land, many of these people are still living under the open sky. Several of these evicted families are not getting sufficient food as their members are afraid to join work in fear of fresh violence. Even children are not going to schools, as their books were burnt during the attack on their houses. Though the local administration went to them on Monday to distribute relief materials, several among them rejected the government aid. The Santals told the officials that they did not want anything except the land from where they were evicted.
In a related development, two Santal men undergoing treatment in Rangpur Medical College Hospital were arrested yesterday. The two, Bimal Chikku and Charan Soren, were accused in the clash.
Also yesterday, a Supreme Court lawyer sent a legal notice to the administration, seeking an explanation for the eviction of Santals in Gobindaganj and the steps being taken against the perpetrators of the attacks on the ethnic minority people.
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua served the legal notice on behalf of two Santal victims of Jaypur village, Olivia Hembrom, wife of Dijen Tudu, and Rumila Kisku, wife of Ganesh Murmu. The lawyer requested the authorities to inform in writing about the steps taken by the administration within 24 hours.
The home secretary, industries secretary, inspector general of police, deputy commissioner of Gaibandha, deputy inspector general of police of Rangpur range, superintendent of police of Gaibandha, upazila nirbahi officer of Gobindaganj, officer-in-charge of Gobindaganj police station and manager of Mohimaganj Sugar Mill were made co-respondents to the notice.
In another development, industries minister Amir Hossain Amu claimed that a few unscrupulous people were using the Santals to grab land. “It was not the Santals’ land. In fact, some land grabbers are using the ethnic community for their own nefarious activities,” he told reporters at the ministry yesterday. “A delegation of those shedding crocodile’s tears today had come to me a month ago to talk to me personally. I told them to tell the Santals that they should not be used,” Amu said. Regarding the recent communal attacks across the country, the minister said people with vested interests might have carried out the violence. On Monday, the industries secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan had also alleged that people with vested interests were involved in the attack against Santals. Bhuiyan claimed that law enforcers were not responsible for the killing and injuries in the clash between Santals and sugar mill workers over the land dispute.

Still in fear, Santals adamant on getting back their land

Fear and uncertainty continue to haunt Santal families following a clash with sugar mill workers over a land dispute in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha district on November 6. After being evicted from their land, many of these people are still living under the open sky. Several of these evicted families are not getting sufficient food as their members are afraid to join work in fear of fresh violence. Even children are not going to schools, as their books were burnt during the attack on their houses. Though the local administration went to them on Monday to distribute relief materials, several among them rejected the government aid. The Santals told the officials that they did not want anything except the land from where they were evicted. In a related development, two Santal men undergoing treatment in Rangpur Medical College Hospital were arrested yesterday. The two, Bimal Chikku and Charan Soren, were accused in the clash. Also yesterday, a Supreme Court lawyer sent a legal notice to the administration, seeking an explanation for the eviction of Santals in Gobindaganj and the steps being taken against the perpetrators of the attacks on the ethnic minority people. Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua served the legal notice on behalf of two Santal victims of Jaypur village, Olivia Hembrom, wife of Dijen Tudu, and Rumila Kisku, wife of Ganesh Murmu. The lawyer requested the authorities to inform in writing about the steps taken by the administration within 24 hours. The home secretary, industries secretary, inspector general of police, deputy commissioner of Gaibandha, deputy inspector general of police of Rangpur range, superintendent of police of Gaibandha, upazila nirbahi officer of Gobindaganj, officer-in-charge of Gobindaganj police station and manager of Mohimaganj Sugar Mill were made co-respondents to the notice. In another development, industries minister Amir Hossain Amu claimed that a few unscrupulous people were using the Santals to grab land. It was not the Santals land. In fact, some land grabbers are using the ethnic community for their own nefarious activities, he told reporters at the ministry yesterday. A delegation of those shedding crocodiles tears today had come to me a month ago to talk to me personally. I told them to tell the Santals that they should not be used, Amu said. Regarding the recent communal attacks across the country, the minister said people with vested interests might have carried out the violence. On Monday, the industries secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan had also alleged that people with vested interests were involved in the attack against Santals. Bhuiyan claimed that law enforcers were not responsible for the killing and injuries in the clash between Santals and sugar mill workers over the land dispute.