A High Court (HC) bench yesterday directed the government to allow Santals to harvest paddy at Gobindaganj in Gaibandha. The HC also asked the local administration to take steps to return to Santals crops harvested on their lands by others, if this has taken place. The administration itself can harvest paddy on lands belonging to Santals, if needed. It also directed the local administration to ensure security and free movement of the evicted Santals. The HC bench also asked the Gaibandha SP and Gobindaganj police station officer-in-charge to submit a report before it within 10 days on what steps they have taken in connection with the attack on the Santals.
In response to a writ petition, the HC bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath came up with the orders. It also issued a rule asking the government to explain why its inaction over providing protection to the Santals should not be declared illegal.
Secretaries of the home and public administration ministries, Gaibandha deputy commissioner and superintendent of police (SP), local MP and Gobindaganj UP chairman have been made respondents to reply to the rule. The HC bench also fixed November 30 for further hearing on the matter.
Three human rights organisations—Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) and Brotee Foundation—filed the writ petition jointly with the HC on November 16, challenging the legality of using firearms by the police on Santals in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha during a clash between law enforcers and tribals over a land dispute on November 6.
Deputy commissioner of Gaibandha district, Abdus Samad, told The Independent that they would follow the court’s order. “We have not got the order yet. We are bound to follow the court’s directives. We would implement the order whenever we get it,” he said. Regarding distribution of relief materials, Samad said: “We have distributed some relief materials. If necessary, we have allocation to distribute more.”
Eleven days after the incident, the police finally registered a case over the clash with Rangpur Sugar Mill employees and workers and law enforcers. On behalf of the Santals, Swapan Murmu filed a complaint against 500-600 “unknown people” at the Gobindaganj police station around 11:30pm on Wednesday for attacking them, setting fire to their houses, looting and allegedly killing Santal people. The police arrested five people on suspicion after the complaint was filed. They are Manik Sarkar, 26, Badsha Mia, 50 of  Chawakrahima village in Gobindaganj upazila, Charan Mia, 25 of Tarafkamal village, Abdur Rashid, 60, and Shahnewaz of Shahebganj village. The officer-in-charge of Gobindaganj police station, Subrata Kumar Sarker, told The Independent: “There was no delay on our part in filing the case. No one came to us earlier to lodge the complaint. We register a case when victims come to us.” He also said their operation is on to arrest those involved in the attack. Earlier, the Santals alleged that the police filed five cases over the incident of violence in Gobindaganj over a land dispute.  Both the Santals and the Sugar Mill authorities claimed the land was theirs. They said as the police filed the cases, male members of the community left the area fearing arrest. Hence, the delay in filing the complaint.
Two Santals—Bimal Kisku and Charan Soren—got bail yesterday after being arrested on Tuesday. The police arrested them when they were released from Rangpur Medical College Hospital the same day. The Bangladesh Human Rights Commission’s Gaibandha branch had applied for their bail at the Gobindaganj court. Life was returning to normal for the Santals after assurances were given that their demands, like rehabilitation and return of lands, would be met.  Santals of the Sahebganj-Bagda Farm area in Gobindaganj came under police firing on November 6 when they protested eviction from their ancestral land by a group of people allegedly loyal to the local lawmaker. The evictors drove the Santals away, “looted their houses, and burned them down”. Three Santals were killed and more than 30 people were injured in the clashes. The Santal people shot arrows at the police and the labourers, injuring nine law enforcers and a number of workers.