‘Attack on Santals was planned’

After visiting the affected areas of Shahebganj-Bagda farm in Gobindaganj on Tuesday, members of Shahebganj-Bagda farm Bhumi Uddhar Sanghati Committee said Santals were victims of a joint attack carried out by ruling party leaders, local administration and police aiming to evict them from their land. The eight-member committee made the comment at a press conference held at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the capital. “Although two Santal men – Shyamol Hembron and Mongol Madri – were killed in the illegal eviction drive led by police, they are refusing take the responsibility,” said Jyotirmoy Barua, convener of the committee. Three Santal men remain missing after police opened fire on the people on Sunday, he added. Local union parishad Chairman Shakil Akhand Bulbul and his musclemen, along with police and sugar mill manager Abdul Awal, attacked the Santals and Bangalis in a planned way under the guise of mill staff, according to the committee. “Prior to the attack, Bulbul instructed his goons to rob all the houses and spare no one,” Jyotirmoy claimed. The evicted Santal families are now living under the open sky while the government has yet to extend a helping hand, he added. The committee called upon the government to launch a judicial probe into the incident.