Gets back land after 45 years

Eighty-year-old Saabjan Bibi got her homestead back from alleged grabbers at Tangongati village in Ishwarganj upazila under the district on Monday.

Although the woman returned to her land with the help of police, she is staying at a relative's house as the attackers had demolished her house.

“After the death of her husband some 45 years ago, Saabjan started living at other's house as her husband's ancestral property was grabbed by local influential people,” Badrul Alam Khan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Ishwarganj Police Station said, quoting locals.

“In 1996, Saabjan, a mother of four children, filed a case with a Mymensingh court to get back her husband's land and she got back 2.35 acres of land through a court order in 2017.

“She made four rooms on the land being assisted by local police in January this year and started staying there with her two daughters,” said the OC.

“But the influential quarter allegedly led by Sultan Uddin, a neighbour, vandalised the rooms and looted all the valuables from there on the night of April 12, when I was alone at the house. They tortured me and drove me out. They also cultivated the land,” Saabjan told this correspondent.

“The attackers beat my daughter Sahera Khatun when she went to the spot. Their relatives are still hurling abuses at us, asking us to leave the area,” she said.

The victim on Monday met Mymensingh Superintendent of Police Syed Nurul Islam and the official asked police to take immediate action.

Police went to the spot and Saabjan returned to her land.

The grabbers fled the scene.

“It is hard to imagine that there was a dwelling on the land as the attackers removed all the structures and hurriedly cultivated the land in a pre-planned way,” said sub-inspector Tofazzol Hossain, investigation officer (IO) of the case.

“Police arrested one of the attackers Jewel Mia on Monday night. He was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court today [Tuesday] and the court sent him to jail. Saabjan lodged a case against 13 people including Sultan Uddin and Jewel,” he said.