Gaibandha Santals accept government aid

Some 150 members of the Santal community from Madarpur and Joypur received aid distributed by Executive Magistrate Fatematuz Zohra at the Madarpur church ground Wednesday afternoon. Assistant Commissioner (land) Ahmed Ali and Upazila Project Implementation Officer (relief) Zahirul Islam were present among others. The magistrate was sent as a representative of the deputy commissioner, as the homeless Santals refused to accept aid from the UNO, Abdul Hannan, on November 10 alleging that the UNO had ordered the police to open fire on the Santals. They also claimed that local Awami League lawmaker had instigated the attack. In addition, the district administration assured the Santals that 10 acres – nearly 4.05 hectares – of land in Gobindaganj’s Katabari area would be allotted to them to build houses. On Wednesday, 150 Santal families each were given 20kg rice, one litre of edible oil, 1kg lentils, 1kg potato, 1kg salt and two blankets.

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The upazila administration evicted around 600 households from their ancestral land in Sahebganj-Bagda Sugar Mill area on November 6 and 7. Three Santal men died and many others were injured as they protested the eviction, carried out by the police, RAB and BGB members, and assisted by local Bangalis, allegedly loyal to the local lawmaker. Another body was found later. The Bangalis, who were invited to take part in the eviction through loudspeakers, looted the houses before burning them to ashes. Gaibandha administration on Wednesday distributed relief to Santals, who lost their homes and possessions, during a violence over land dispute on November 6, 2016 Dhaka TribuneAfter the incident, the authorities filed cases against the Santals for barring the law enforcers from carrying out their duties. The incident has created massive uproar across the country as activists condemned the acts of the local administration and the law enforcers, and question the motive of the sugar mill authorities who identified the land as abandoned and suggested setting up economic zone there. But as per the lease agreements signed with the local Santals, the land is supposed to be returned back to the owners if it is not used for producing sugarcane.

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The evicted Santals have been staying under the open sky and have limited access to water and foods since the brutal attack. Many of them have fled their village to avoid arrest. So far, some individuals and philanthropic groups have visited the area to distribute food and clothes among the affected Santals. The government has, however, blamed certain quarters for using the Santals as pawns to grab the land.

Writ questions legality of eviction

Three human rights organisations filed a writ petition with the High Court Wednesday seeking explanation from the government under what jurisdiction the law enforcers used bullets on the Santals of Gobindaganj on November 6. The petitioners – Ain o Salish Kendra, Brotee Samaj Kallyan Sangstha (Brotee) and Association of Land Reform and Development – prayed to the court to issue a rule challenging the legality of the government's inaction during the attack and asking why the government would not be ordered to take necessary steps. Elderly Santal women sit in despair after they were attacked and evicted from their homes on November 6, 2016 Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneThey also sought directives on the government to provide compensation for the victims, and ensure that the Santals are not harassed and can move freely.

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The secretaries of home, industry and public administration ministries and the inspector general of police, among 11, have been made respondents in the petition. Lawyer of the petitioners ZI Khan Panna told reporters that the petition would be heard by the High Court bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath.

AL assures acceptable solution for Santals

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said that his party will find an acceptable and respectable solution to the ongoing land dispute in Gaibandha’s Gobindaganj. The government has also instructed the police to cooperate if the victims want to file cases over the eviction drive. Three generation of Santals-Father, sons and granddaughter, sit on despair after they were attacked and evicted from their homes on November 6, 2016 Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneObaidul gave the assurance during a meeting with the indigenous community leaders at the party's Dhanmondi office on Monday night, Jatiya Adivasi Parishad President Rabindranath Soren told the Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday. Senior leaders of the party also took part in the meeting.

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Soren said that they had briefed Obaidul of the situation, particularly the displacement of around 2,000 families of 15 Santal villages and five Bangali villages, and that local ruling party MP Abul Kalam Azad and UP Chairman Shakil Ahmed instigated the attacks that killed at least four Santals. “Even though the prime minister is now abroad, she is fully informed of the situation. After she returns home, we hope that there will be a respectable and acceptable solution to the problem,” Soren said quoting Obaidul.