‘No justice for Santals in 4yrs’

Leaders of indigenous communities in Rajshahi yesterday expressed concern over getting justice to Santal families who endured killings of their dear ones and witnessed eviction through arson in Shahebganj Bagda farm in Gaibandha's Gobindaganj upazila four years ago.

Speaking in a human chain and rally held at the city's Shaheb Bazar area yesterday, they said names of the main accused for the violence that drew countrywide outcry in November 2016 were dropped from the charges.

Organised by Jatiya Adivasi Parishad (JAP), speakers were addressing the demonstration to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the incident. They said similar programmes were held in five other districts -- Natore, Naogaon, Pabna, Dinajpur, Gaibandha and Rangpur.

On November 6, 2016, police and local goons attacked ethnic Santal families in a bid to evict them from Rangpur Sugar Mill land.

However, community leaders said the sugar mill was established on 1,842.30 acres of Santals' ancestral land.

The mill authority, they said, lost its right on the land when it ceased from its goal to produce sugar and instead, it continued leasing out the land illegally to local goons for financial benefits.   

Not even the police members who were seen in video footage setting fire to houses were brought to book, they said. The evicted families were never rehabilitated so far, nor they were returned of their ancestral land, they said.