Leaders of different organisations working for rights of ethnic people yesterday visited indigenous neighbourhoods at Patnitala in Naogaon and urged the caretaker government to ensure their security.

They also demanded an impartial investigation into the October 5 incident at Kazipara where houses of 17 indigenous families were torched and looted by land grabbers. They urged the government for immediate relief and rehabilitation of the affected families.

The visiting leaders include Bangladesh Adibashi Odhikar Andolon (BAOA) general secretary and Dhaka University teacher Prof Mesbah Kamal, Gono Forum presidium member Pankaj Bhattachariya, Jatiya Adibashi Parishad general secretary Rabindranath Saren, Sammilito Samajik Andolon general secretary advocate Tobarak Hossain and Bangladesh Krishak Samity executive president Abdus Sabur.

Samajtantrik Dol organiser Khalekuzzaman Ratan, BAOA publicity secretary Rakhi Mrong, local indigenous leaders and some officials Karitas, an NGO, accompanied them.

The leaders talked to the indigenous families and the Upazila Nirbahi Officer.

Talking to newsmen later, Prof Mesbah Kamal said the indigenous people complained of insecurity. “The people accused of arson and looting are still evading arrest and threatening the victims”, he said. The victims earlier filed a case.

"None of the victims got any relief yet from government...When we asked them (local officials) they told us they would distribute relief tomorrow (Tuesday)", Mesbah said.

Pankaj Bhattachariya, “The victims complained that police and local administration were in favour of land-grabbers and they might not get an impartial probe into the incident”.

Lease of the khas land to a group of landlords ignoring priority of landless indigenous people proves that local administration favoured land grabbers, he added.

At least 15 people were injured when a gang of miscreants attacked the village and torched houses in Kazipara on October 5. Subol Lakra, one of the victims, lodged a case against 24 persons.

The gang has already grabbed 1.33 acres of land in the village, saying they leased it from the government in 1991 for 99 years.

The visiting leaders said, the local officials told them that they would sit today to cancel the lease and distribute khas lands among the affected landless indigenous people.