THE High Court order on Thursday to local administration to ensure security and free movement of the members of ethnic Santals community in some villages of Gaibandha’s Gobindaganj Upazila and allow them to harvest their crops in the field has come surely at the right moment. The intervention has come when over 1200 Santal families are on the run and their villages abandoned following their eviction drives by a group of local influential persons with the help of police and Rangpur Sugar Mill workers. The mayhem continued through 12 days yesterday as the helpless Santals were left unprotected.
The High Court bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath took it for hearing on a writ by some Human Rights Organizations seeking the higher judiciary’s intervention to give constitutional protection to the indigenous minorities. In our view the quick action of the court must be appreciated as it has issued detailed instruction how to give protection to them and also report to the court in 10 days what legal steps it has taken over attacks on Santals and why their inaction should not be declared illegal. We believe it will surely bring sense to the local administration. The court has fixed November 30 as next date for hearing.
The Court order to local administration to allow Santals to harvest their crops without any obstacle also makes sense. It seems highly sensible when the Judges asked local administration to return their crops if anybody other than Santals has harvested it. If necessary the local administration should arrange the harvesting. We believe timely action by local administration could definitely avoid the mayhem. But its silence rather amply suggests to many as its complicity with the local groups politically linked to the ruling party.
We don’t understand why the sugar mills leased over 1800 acres of land to local influential groups bypassing the Santal families. The government had acquired this land earlier in 1956 for sugarcane farming and the lease agreement said if the sugar mill does not use all land, Santals’ families would get it back. Santals took the leasing of the lands as a move to grab their land and started agitation. The leaseholders now started to evict them from their villages to protect their ill-gotten land. Santals’ homes were already torched, cattle herd looted and they were barred from harvesting crop. They are fleeing to escape attacks and police arrest when two were already killed in police firing and three others missing. Many are in jail and injured are treated at hospitals.
It is reassuring the Court Order asking for explanation about the role of the local administration.
The role of the Supreme Court, High Court Division included, is to protect the fundamental rights of the citizens. The Constitution gives this heavy responsibility to no one else but the Judges of the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court remains strong and brave our rights are bound to be safe and protected.
The High Court bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath took it for hearing on a writ by some Human Rights Organizations seeking the higher judiciary’s intervention to give constitutional protection to the indigenous minorities. In our view the quick action of the court must be appreciated as it has issued detailed instruction how to give protection to them and also report to the court in 10 days what legal steps it has taken over attacks on Santals and why their inaction should not be declared illegal. We believe it will surely bring sense to the local administration. The court has fixed November 30 as next date for hearing.
The Court order to local administration to allow Santals to harvest their crops without any obstacle also makes sense. It seems highly sensible when the Judges asked local administration to return their crops if anybody other than Santals has harvested it. If necessary the local administration should arrange the harvesting. We believe timely action by local administration could definitely avoid the mayhem. But its silence rather amply suggests to many as its complicity with the local groups politically linked to the ruling party.
We don’t understand why the sugar mills leased over 1800 acres of land to local influential groups bypassing the Santal families. The government had acquired this land earlier in 1956 for sugarcane farming and the lease agreement said if the sugar mill does not use all land, Santals’ families would get it back. Santals took the leasing of the lands as a move to grab their land and started agitation. The leaseholders now started to evict them from their villages to protect their ill-gotten land. Santals’ homes were already torched, cattle herd looted and they were barred from harvesting crop. They are fleeing to escape attacks and police arrest when two were already killed in police firing and three others missing. Many are in jail and injured are treated at hospitals.
It is reassuring the Court Order asking for explanation about the role of the local administration.
The role of the Supreme Court, High Court Division included, is to protect the fundamental rights of the citizens. The Constitution gives this heavy responsibility to no one else but the Judges of the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court remains strong and brave our rights are bound to be safe and protected.
