Air of gloom over 100 indigenous families this Christmas
Christmas is the biggest annual festival for about a hundred indigenous families of Khasi and Garo communities that live in Jhimai Punji of Kulaura upazila.
But this year, the event is unlikely to bring any joy to their hearts as they have been living in fear of being evicted from their dwellings since last month.
While visiting the neighbourhood, called punji, headman of the punji Rana Surong said the frightened communities started guarding their properties since November 15.
On that day, at least three members of Khasi community were hospitalised due to serious injuries sustained in an attack while transporting construction materials on a truck for an under-construction church in the punji.
People belonging to Kedarpur Tea Company launched the attack on them while the truck was entering the punji through a gate installed by the firm authorities.
Concealing the fact that both the Khasi and Garo communities had been living on 406 acres of hilly land in the area for over a hundred years, the tea garden authorities leased the area from the government, said the headman. “It’s our home. It’s where we belong. We don’t want to lose it.”
Punji resident Dorina Dhar said, “Ever since the attack, we are feeling highly insecure as the tea garden authorities might evict us any moment. We are passing each day in fear and the male members of our families have been standing guard around the punji.”
This Christmas will not make any difference to them because she, like many others in the punji, already lost all her savings to cover the expenses of the legal battle over the land ownership, she added.
Father Joseph Gomes, a member of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) central unit, said without settling the claim of the Khasi and Garo communities over the land, where they had been living for over one hundred years, the government leased out 661.55 acres of land to Kedarpur Tea Company.
In addition to that, Jhimai Tea Garden, an affiliated company of Kedarpur Tea Company, illegally occupied over 200 acres of land that is also home to many Khasis and Garos.
The tea garden authorities once tried felling 2,096 trees in and around the punji. They are still making attempts to expand their garden by clearing the woodlands.
They have been causing obstructions in the movement of the two communities by making a gate at the main entrance of the punji and sometimes they do not even allow any ambulance through the gate, he alleged.
Flora Bably Talang, general secretary of KUBORAZ (Kulaura, Juri, Barlekha and Rajnagar upazilas), an association of Khasis for development of punjis, said it would be impossible for the communities to survive without the land as many jobless Khasi family’s live on betel leaf cultivation on the land.
“If necessary, we will stage mass protests against the eviction plan.” She added.
Rebutting the land ownership claim of the Khasis and Garos, Jhimai Tea Garden manager Moniruzzaman said the indigenous people encroached on 371 acres of land, on which the tea garden authorities have lawful occupancy claim.
Claiming that they do not create any obstruction to the indigenous communities while passing through the gate, he said they sometimes restrict use of trucks in the punji to protect properties of the tea garden.
Meanwhile, on December 11, five non-government rights organisations, led by Bapa President Sultana Kamal, visited the area.
Sultana Kamal said about 100 indigenous families have been confined to their village as Jhimai Tea Garden authorities seek to expand the garden by illegally occupying the land that belongs to the indigenous communities.
The role of indigenous population in conserving forest, biodiversity and the environment is undeniable and a threat to their existence could easily be defined as a threat to natural forest and the wildlife, she also said.
Contacted, Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Kulaura upazila Nazratun Nayeem said, “I joined the office three months ago. I’m not fully aware of the situation.”
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