‘Three Santals still missing’

Philimon Baske, a leader of the community, told journalists that they were worried about three missing men, but he could not name them immediately Rafael Hazda told the Dhaka Tribune that one was Madhi Hembron, age 60. “That day he was beaten by a gang of attackers. Then he was taken to the Gobindaganj Health Complex. But he went missing from there,” he said. After the violent attack last week in which an entire village was attacked, looted and burned down, leaving three men dead so far, the Santals have taken shelter in the neighbouring villages. Community members say they are still living in fear and cannot keep their trust on the local administration. Victims of the attack said they had been deceived many times before by people in power, which ultimately led to their present crisis. Gaibandha DC and Gobindaganj UNO had visited the Madarpur village to give assurance that community people can go outside the village and their children can go to the schools. “The DC, the UNO and the SP came here. But we cannot trust their word, especially since some of us were attacked when they went out,” said Bhupen Mardy to the Dhaka Tribune. He said the community had received some donations of rice and lentils. Sapmara union chairman Shakil Ahmed Bulbul and local lawmaker Abul Kalam Azad were present at the time of attack and allegedly allowed their men to loot and assault the village. Dhaka Tribune’s Gaibandha Correspondent Tajul Islam reported that the land where the houses stood is now being prepared for sugarcane cultivation. A barbed-wire fence has been put around the property by the mill. Rangpur Sugar Mill MD Abdul Awal told the Bangla Tribune that this fence should have been put up a long time ago. There is a police camp on the land. Gobindaganj police Officer-in-Charge Subrata Kumar Sarkar said they had been posted there to avoid further untoward situations.