Mourning rally, placing of wreaths and a demonstration were held on Friday morning in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha marking four years of an incident where three Santals were killed in a clash.
The programs were organized by the Sahebganj-Bagdafarm Bhumi Uddhar Sangram Committee,Jatiya Adivasi Parishad, Bangladesh Adivasi Union, Adivasi-Banglalee Sanghati Parishad and Janauddog.
The four year anniversary of the tragic incident was observed by a rally of near a thousand people who appeared at the Gobindaganj Shahid Minar premises through the Dhaka -Rangpur Highway, walking about 12 kilometres.
After placing wreaths at the Shaheed Minar the participants demonstrated for a brief period demanding justice, confirmed Prabir Chakroborty, a member of the organizing committee.
Filimon Basak, president of Sahebganj-Bagdafarm Bhumi Uddhar Sangram Committee President Philemon Basak presided over the program.
The beginning of the dispute
During the Pakistan regime, the government intended to acquire 1,840 acres of land at Shahebganj in Gobindaganj for sugarcane cultivation and had set up Rangpur (Mahimaganj) Sugar Mills between 1954 and 1957.
In 1962, the process of land acquisition was completed as the government evicted the Santals and Bangalees from their land and the deputy commissioner's office, on behalf of the evicted people signed an agreement that the land will be used only for sugarcane cultivation.
However, the mill authorities within 2015 leased out most of the lands for cultivation of other crops.
In 2015, arguing that the contract had been violated, local Santals and Bangalees started a movement to get back their ancestral land. On July 1 of 2016, locals built four large houses on the acquired land.
On November 6 of 2016, three Santals among four injured by police firing during series of clashes succumbed to their injuries. Police backed by mill workers clashed with local Santals and Bangaleees that esued over cutting of sugarcane from the acquired land.
Nine police officers sustained arrow inflicted injuries among the total 30 people that were injured that day. The deceased Santals have been identified as Shyamol, Mongal and Ramesh.
Later, police during a drive evicted Santals from the houses they built on the acquired land.
Justice still eludes Santals
As four years of the killings of Santals have passed by, the cases filed in connection with the murders and eviction are still at the investigation period.
On November 16, of 2016, Shapan Murmu filed a case against 600 unidentified individuals linked to the killings and the eviction.
Later on November 26 of the same year, one Thomas Hembrom filed a case naming 33 people and 500 to 600 others unidentified.
The prime accused included former MP Abul Kalam Azad, former managing director of the Rangpur Sugar Mill Abdul Awal, its former general manager Abdul Mazid, former UNO of the upazila Abdul Hannan, and Chairman of the Katabari Union Parishad Rezaul Karim Rafik.
On July 28 of 2019, the case investigating officer Additional Superintendent of Police Md Abdul Hye Sarker submitted the final charge-sheet at Gobindaganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Court.
However as the names of the prime accused in the charge-sheet were dropped, Hembrom submitted a no-confidence petition at the court on September 4 of 2019.
Although on December 23 of 2019, the court handed over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation, the case was once again shifted to PBI in February of 2020.
Additional Superintendent of Police Tanvir Hasan of Gaibandha CID confirmed that the PBI is currently in charge of investigating the case
