Staff Reporter :
Rangpur Sugar Mills started harvesting paddy from the lands of Santals in Baghda farm area of Gobindaganj Upazila complying with a High Court order.
In the morning, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Gobindaganj Abdul Hannan asked the Santal leaders to harvest the paddy from their land.
But the Ethnic group rejected the proposal and demanded immediate withdrawal of all the criminal cases filed against them and removal of the barbed wire fence constructed by the mill authorities around their land. The authorities started harvesting the paddy around 11:30am, complying with the HC order, our Gaibandha correspondent reports quoting the UNO.
The administration will process the paddy and handover to the evicted Santal families, the UNO said.
However, Santal leader Mathius Mardy said that they would not receive paddy until the fulfillment of their demands to withdraw all criminal cases against them and release of arrested Santals. They also demanded removal of the fence around the land.
The Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) said, the mill authorities will handover the paddy to the Santal people after the full harvesting from the lands.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said, the mill authorities harvested the paddy according to the HC order and they are assisting them in the work.
Abdul Awal, Managing Director of Rangpur Sugar Mills said, they have tried to handover the paddy to Santals, but they refused to accept it.
Deputy Commissioner Abdus Samad said that they would store the paddy until the Santals accept those.
Eralier on November 17, the HC asked the authorities concerned to allow the Santal people to harvest paddy from their land at Bagda Farm in Rangpur Sugar Mills area.
If anyone had already harvested the paddy of Santals’ land, the local administration would take steps to return the crops to them, the HC said in its order.
On November 6, police fired and lobbed teargas shells during an eviction drive at the Shahebganj sugarcane farm leaving three Santals killed and several others injured. Protesting the eviction, Santals shot arrows at police and mill workers injuring 25 people, including policemen.
The clash broke out when workers of Rangpur Sugar Mills along with police went to Bagda Farm area to reclaim land of the sugar mills allegedly occupied by the Santal community.
