Ensure land rights, withdraw false cases

Indigenous people of Madhupur upazila in Tangail yesterday demanded steps for ensuring legal ownership of their land and withdrawal of 'false' cases filed by the forest department against them.

They raised their demands at a view exchange meeting with lawyers at Tangail Press Club  auditorium.

Human Rights Defenders Committee in Tangail arranged the meeting with the help of Indigenous Peoples Development Services (IPDS) and Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).

Public Prosecutor (PP) in Tangail, Alamgir Khan Menu, attended the meeting as the chief guest with Tangail Bar Association General Secretary Saiful Islam Shibli in the chair. Eugene Nokrek, president of Joinshahi Adivasi Unnayan Parishad, presented the keynote paper at the meeting.

Among others, Amit Kumar Niyogee, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) and panel lawyer of the indigenous people in Mahupur, Joshtina Nokrek, former vice-chairman of Madhupur upazila parishad, and Goutam Chandra and Somnath Lahiri, senior researchers of BELA, spoke at the meeting. 

Indigenous speakers at the meeting said the Garo, Koch and Bormon people, numbering around 25,600, have been living in different unions in the upazila for long, and most of them are dependent on agriculture and forestry.

The speakers said they had lost their lands due to the Bangladesh Forest Act. Besides, setting up of the national park and eco-park also took away lands of the local indigenous people.

The indigenous people claimed that 1098 false cases had been filed by the forest department against 184 local indigenous families.

They also placed their nine-point recommendations at the meeting. These include:

Initiative to demarcate the indigenous peoples' villages by a three-sided (land ministry, forest department and representatives of the indigenous people) survey;

Affiliation of the traditional land rights of the indigenous people and creation of opportunities over controlling the forest and its natural resources; 

Giving opportunity of mutation (kharij, nam jari) to ensure ownership of their lands;

Cancellation of the gazette notification of 1984 and resumption of taking tax of the ROR enlisted lands;

Giving opportunity of mutation of the “Kha” listed vested properties and stopping government harassment over the matter; 

Withdrawal of forest cases;

Inclusion of indigenous people in different committees at district, upazila and union levels for taking them as partners in the development work of the country;

Setting up a of cultural academy for the indigenous people of Madhupur for preserving and practising their tradition and culture.