Staff Reporter :
The civil society organisations have claimed that indigenous minority Santal community in Gaibandha was the victim of an attack planned and carried out jointly by leaders of the ruling party, local administration and police.
They also demanded to form a judicial commission for investigating the incident and ensure exemplary punishment to the culprits involved in the heinous act of human rights violation.
“We demand proper justice of Gaibandha incident where people of Santal community were killed and their belongings were looted… We shake with fear witnessing such inhuman and brutal incident of human rights violation in this independent country,” advocate Sultana Kamal, human rights activist and executive director of Ain-O- Salish Kendra, said on Friday.
She was addressing a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity jointly organized by Bangladesh Adibasi Forum, Jatiya Adibasi Parishad and Nagorik Samaj protesting the attack on minority Santal community at Sahebganj near Baghda Farm in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha district on November 6.
Sultana Kamal said: “If we consider ourselves as human being, we must protest incidents where human rights are violated. We are strongly demanding for paying them compensation, instead of bringing under relief programme. It will help them to start their life again, as it was earlier.”
Eminent writer and columnist Syed Abul Maksud said: “There are police to tackle the situation, if law and order deteriorates anywhere. But a new sign is being visible for the last few years, which was seen during Pakistan tenure… We saw there was an auxiliary force with the police both in Nasirnagar and Gaibandha. It was just like Al-Badr and Razakar who had accompanied the Pakistani army during the attacks in 1971.”
Now, some students and youths are going with the law enforcers in every place like Al-Badr and Razakar. They are allegedly involved in attack, arson and vandalizing. It’s an extreme example of human rights violation.
General Secretary of Bangladesh Adibasi Forum Sanjeeb Drong in his written speech said: “Four members of Santal community were killed in a synchronized attack by the criminals hired by sugar factory owners for two consecutive days on November 6 and 7. They dead were identified Shyamol Hembrom, Mongal Mardi, Ramesh Tudu and an unidentified indigenous woman. The hoodlums set fire on the houses in presence of police.”
Earlier on Friday, Jyotirmoy Barua, convener of a citizens’ body Sahebganj Baghda Farm Bhumi Uddhar Committee, said: “The attack was planned to forcefully remove adivasi-Bengalis from the land they were living in. Three Santals were killed and three others went missing after police opened fire on the Santals.”
The eight-member committee visited the area on November 8 to find out the circumstances that led to the incident. The committee came up with five observations following the visit.
Categorically blaming the local administration for their failure to tackle the situation, they said the incident was not a clash between police and minority Santals, rather it was synchronised attack to evict the Santals from their forefather’s lands.
In a written statement Jyotirmoy Barua said: “The local UP chairman Bulbul and his musclemen, backed by police and the sugar mill’s manager Abdul Awal, launched the attack to plunder the property of the minority people.”
Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League is going to send a five-member party delegation to Gobindaganj on Sunday [tomorrow] to stand beside the Santal community.
The civil society organisations have claimed that indigenous minority Santal community in Gaibandha was the victim of an attack planned and carried out jointly by leaders of the ruling party, local administration and police.
They also demanded to form a judicial commission for investigating the incident and ensure exemplary punishment to the culprits involved in the heinous act of human rights violation.
“We demand proper justice of Gaibandha incident where people of Santal community were killed and their belongings were looted… We shake with fear witnessing such inhuman and brutal incident of human rights violation in this independent country,” advocate Sultana Kamal, human rights activist and executive director of Ain-O- Salish Kendra, said on Friday.
She was addressing a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity jointly organized by Bangladesh Adibasi Forum, Jatiya Adibasi Parishad and Nagorik Samaj protesting the attack on minority Santal community at Sahebganj near Baghda Farm in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha district on November 6.
Sultana Kamal said: “If we consider ourselves as human being, we must protest incidents where human rights are violated. We are strongly demanding for paying them compensation, instead of bringing under relief programme. It will help them to start their life again, as it was earlier.”
Eminent writer and columnist Syed Abul Maksud said: “There are police to tackle the situation, if law and order deteriorates anywhere. But a new sign is being visible for the last few years, which was seen during Pakistan tenure… We saw there was an auxiliary force with the police both in Nasirnagar and Gaibandha. It was just like Al-Badr and Razakar who had accompanied the Pakistani army during the attacks in 1971.”
Now, some students and youths are going with the law enforcers in every place like Al-Badr and Razakar. They are allegedly involved in attack, arson and vandalizing. It’s an extreme example of human rights violation.
General Secretary of Bangladesh Adibasi Forum Sanjeeb Drong in his written speech said: “Four members of Santal community were killed in a synchronized attack by the criminals hired by sugar factory owners for two consecutive days on November 6 and 7. They dead were identified Shyamol Hembrom, Mongal Mardi, Ramesh Tudu and an unidentified indigenous woman. The hoodlums set fire on the houses in presence of police.”
Earlier on Friday, Jyotirmoy Barua, convener of a citizens’ body Sahebganj Baghda Farm Bhumi Uddhar Committee, said: “The attack was planned to forcefully remove adivasi-Bengalis from the land they were living in. Three Santals were killed and three others went missing after police opened fire on the Santals.”
The eight-member committee visited the area on November 8 to find out the circumstances that led to the incident. The committee came up with five observations following the visit.
Categorically blaming the local administration for their failure to tackle the situation, they said the incident was not a clash between police and minority Santals, rather it was synchronised attack to evict the Santals from their forefather’s lands.
In a written statement Jyotirmoy Barua said: “The local UP chairman Bulbul and his musclemen, backed by police and the sugar mill’s manager Abdul Awal, launched the attack to plunder the property of the minority people.”
Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League is going to send a five-member party delegation to Gobindaganj on Sunday [tomorrow] to stand beside the Santal community.
