Santals' demand is legitimate
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We are surprised that the Santal community of Gabindaganj upazilla (Gaibandha district) who had been cruelly evicted from their own farm land by law enforcers, are still having to bring out a human chain, to demand justice and the return of their land. On November 6, law enforcers fired on the Santals during an eviction drive led by local influentials which left three villagers dead, many injured and innumerable sheds torched. The land had been obtained by a state-owned sugar mill in Gaibandha in 1962 from the Santal community living there with the purpose of sugar cultivation. But the mill was closed down in 2004. After this, in violation of the law, the mill authorities leased the land to others and refused to return the land to its rightful owners.
The mill authorities have violated The East Bengal (Emergency) Requisition of Property Act 1948 which stipulates that if the requisitioned land is not used for the purpose as stated at the time of requisitioning, the authorities must return the property to the original owners, in this case the Santals. It is a mystery why this issue has not been resolved and these people are still without their land. It is the state's responsibility to protect the rights of all its citizens, more so those who belong to marginalised groups such as many indigenous communities. But in many cases we see that these groups are deprived of the land they had been living in for generations, with the help of local influentials and even members of law enforcement. The protesters have claimed that they are being harassed by local law enforcers and that false cases have been filed against indigenous and Bengali people of the area in order to intimidate them. Such allegations must be investigated and if proven true, the offenders should be punished. In this case, since a state-owned mill is involved, the government has all the more obligation to intervene and set things right.
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