Archive for November 2007
Goons ransack indigenous neighbourhood; Landless evicted in Tanore
The gang of 50 equipped with sticks and machetes swooped on the indigenous families around 7:30am. Around 50 indigenous families used to live on the land.
The inhabitants initially tried to resist but had to fall back within minutes. The attackers then went on a rampage and set fire to several houses.
Police rushed there and arrested five people on the spot. They are union parishad member Helal Uddin, Lutfar Rahman, Azizar Rahman, Ruhul Amin Sagar and Motibul Islam.
The victims were seen weeping on their ravaged homestead. The district administration officials in the evening assured them of justice and return of their land within one week. M Shefaul Karim, deputy commissioner of Naogaon, visited the scene.
Among the injured Khoior, 45, Tara Ekka, 35, Shanti Ekka, 30, Sukormoni, 31 and Maloti, 30 were admitted to Sapahar Hospital with critical injuries and Shanti, 28 and Shuko, 36 were released after primary treatment.
Officer-in-charge of Patnitala Police Station Sakir Uddin said Subol Lakra on behalf of the victims lodged a case in this connection accusing 24 people including local influential person Idris Ali, his brother Shafiuddin and relative Moriam.
Officials of Karitas, an NGO, at Modhoil said Shanti, Rimon Toppo, Tara Ekka, Dulali, Maloti, Tara-2, Khukribala, Sukormoni, Gudhan, Shuko, Sokali, Rukni, Shanti Toppo, Surya, Rina, Poly, Chinta, Shukro Toppo and Shanti-3 are the heads of the houses that were damaged or destroyed.
Witnesses, police and sources said a large number of policemen were deployed at the place to avert further deterioration of law and order.
Sources said two pieces of government land of around 1.33 acres were leased to Idris Ali, Shafiuddin and Moriam in 1990 for 99 years.
The indigenous people resisted leasing out the land citing landless people’s right on the land. The matter was taken to court and in 1993, and the indigenous people lost the legal battle.
However, the indigenous people started living on the land three months ago erecting thatched houses.
Convenor of Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Union Rebeka Shoren and Joint-convenor Mongthenha Rakhain in a statement yesterday demanded immediate arrest and punishment of the perpetrators.
They also demanded compensation to the injured and their proper treatment.
The victim families, now living on the bank of a government pond near the landless people’s neighbourhood, described atrocities on them as a group of newsmen visited the scene, some 50 kilometres from Rajshahi city, yesterday.
A gang of over 100 people armed with sticks attacked the village. As landless people tried to resist the criminals, they roughed them up. The criminals damaged their houses and looted households, poultry, domestic animals, crops and fruits from trees of the landless people.
The victims said a large number of policemen escorted the attackers to the village and the rampage continued for three hours in the presence of law enforcers.
Without any prior notice, the attackers asked the dwellers to leave their homes showing a court’s eviction order that asked them to leave within November 23.
The police and the attackers ignored the landless people’s objection even when they produced an order from the higher court staying the eviction order, the victims said.
The 12 landless families had been living on a piece of 1.64 acres of government khas land for seven years, said locals, police and victims.
In 2004, local influential Mashiur Rahman, and his brothers Habibur and Matiur lodged a case with a Rajshahi court claiming ownership of the land and the court passed an order in favour of the landlords on November 5.
On the same day, the landless people challenged the court order with a higher court that stayed the eviction order until November 18.
Nurul Amin, officer-in-charge (OC) of Tanore Police Station, told newsmen that they assisted the landlords to occupy the land following a court order. “We were not aware of the stay on eviction. In fact, we received the stay order today [Wednesday],” he said.
The OC, however, did not reply to questions about the landless people’s producing the higher court’s stay order prior to the rampage.
The victimised families are of Zaved Ali, Zalal, Shihab, Ekramul, Shahidul, Asia, Afsar Ali, Kheru, Sawkat Ara, Manjur and Azad Khalifa.
A police officer beat up several of their women and took part in the looting, a 60-year-old man said.
They also demanded an impartial investigation into the October 5 incident at Kazipara where houses of 17 indigenous families were torched and looted by land grabbers. They urged the government for immediate relief and rehabilitation of the affected families.
The visiting leaders include Bangladesh Adibashi Odhikar Andolon (BAOA) general secretary and Dhaka University teacher Prof Mesbah Kamal, Gono Forum presidium member Pankaj Bhattachariya, Jatiya Adibashi Parishad general secretary Rabindranath Saren, Sammilito Samajik Andolon general secretary advocate Tobarak Hossain and Bangladesh Krishak Samity executive president Abdus Sabur.
Samajtantrik Dol organiser Khalekuzzaman Ratan, BAOA publicity secretary Rakhi Mrong, local indigenous leaders and some officials Karitas, an NGO, accompanied them.
The leaders talked to the indigenous families and the Upazila Nirbahi Officer.
Talking to newsmen later, Prof Mesbah Kamal said the indigenous people complained of insecurity. “The people accused of arson and looting are still evading arrest and threatening the victims”, he said. The victims earlier filed a case.
“None of the victims got any relief yet from government…When we asked them (local officials) they told us they would distribute relief tomorrow (Tuesday)”, Mesbah said.
Pankaj Bhattachariya, “The victims complained that police and local administration were in favour of land-grabbers and they might not get an impartial probe into the incident”.
Lease of the khas land to a group of landlords ignoring priority of landless indigenous people proves that local administration favoured land grabbers, he added.
At least 15 people were injured when a gang of miscreants attacked the village and torched houses in Kazipara on October 5. Subol Lakra, one of the victims, lodged a case against 24 persons.
The gang has already grabbed 1.33 acres of land in the village, saying they leased it from the government in 1991 for 99 years.
The visiting leaders said, the local officials told them that they would sit today to cancel the lease and distribute khas lands among the affected landless indigenous people.
