The crisis recently developed as Santal villagers raised homes on some of their previous land; which the Pakistan authorities had acquired from their families for Rangpur Sugar Mills set up in mid 1950s. As per the term of the contract, if all lands were not used for sugarcane farming and put on other crops, original owners would get it back. But the sugar mills management is now using less than 100 acres of land out of 1840 acres for farming sugarcane and the remaining land has been leased to local influential people instead of returning it to original owners’ families. The mill management is reportedly playing in the hands of the local influential people.
It is no secret that land of the weak and poor is target of looting and illegal occupation everywhere now in the country using the fragile law and order situation. Since powerful people are active to take possession of the land of the poor, there is hardly any obstacle on their way. Police now help the powerful while the poor cry for help. It is quite unacceptable that Santals’ land would pass on to third party’s hand while they will remain starving in want of farming land. We see that people from all walks of life has come forward to protect the Hindu community as they come under attack in Nasirnagar to grab their land. But it is equally important that our socio-political bodies and civil society organizations should also come forward to protect Santal people in their fight to save their family land.
In our view everybody should get equal protection and not left abandoned by the administration as they come under attack. We must say the local administration must give protection to the Santals and make sure their land is going to them, not to anybody else.
