Hindu widow cries for justice

A hapless Hindu widow is passing hard days at a hut on another perosn's land, failing to get back her ancestral land from a land grabber, even 17 months after a village court's verdict in her favour.

Subhodini Bala, 58, widow of Sudhir Barmon, and daughter of late Nitai Chandra Barmon and Makhodasa Bala, inherited 31 decimals of land at Shahitari village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.

But Subhodini's neighbour Mazidul Haque Bakshi, 55, son of late Fazle Haque Bakshi, occupied the land a few years ago.

He has also hung a signboard for a housing project on the land.

The alleged land grabber set a signboard at Subhodini Bala's land. Photo: Star

In June 2015, Subhodini sought justice to the village court of Lalmonirhat municipality as she could not go to the judicial court due to her hardship. The village court sat three times till June 2016 in this regard.

As Mazidul Haque failed to show any documents against Subhodini Bala's claim of the 31 decimals of land, finally the village court delivered the verdict in favour of the woman on June 20 in 2016 (memo No Lal/Pourasava/BB/142).

“As the legal owner of the land, Subhodini Bala got the village court's verdict in her favour. But this court does not have any legal authority to recover the land from grabber. I suggested the woman to go to the judicial court for getting legal support,” municipality Mayor Reazul Islam Rintu told this correspondent.

Subhodini Bala said she does not have the money for taking legal procedure with the court.

Babul Hossain, a local leader at Shahitari village, said he tried several times to settle the dispute but Mazidul Haque declined to settle it without a judicial court's order.

Mazidul Haque, the alleged land grabber, claimed that the land was purchased from late Abu Sayeed of the same village 30 years ago.

But he kept silent when asked why he failed to show any document against the land to the village court.