5 families left homeless in Netrokona after houses demolished in land dispute

Five families near Jalsuka Bazaar in Purbadhala upazila of Netrokona have come under attack by a group of locals who allegedly destroyed their homes.

According to members of these families, who belong to the Dalit community, they have faced violent attacks over the past few days, as the attackers claimed ownership of the land and tried to evict them.

Mintu Dey, inspector (investigation) of Purbadhala Police Station, confirmed the allegations of home demolition.

"Anil Rabidas, one of the victims, filed a case in this regard yesterday. Efforts are underway to arrest the accused," he said.

According to the case statement, five Dalit families have been living for generations on a piece of government-owned land near the railway line adjacent to Jalsuka Bazaar in Bishkakuni Union. Recently, Siraj Mia and Bakul Mia—sons of the late Janu Mia from Dhara village in neighbouring Khalishaur Union—claimed the land as their private property and ordered the families to vacate it.

In response, one resident, Sunil Rabidas, filed a complaint with the district administration. Following this, Siraj and his associates allegedly attacked Sunil's house last Friday and assaulted his family members.

On Sunday, they returned and vandalised three more homes. Then, on Tuesday afternoon, they launched another attack, demolishing the two remaining houses and forcibly evicting the residents, added the case statement.

Contacted, Purbadhala Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rezwana Kabir said, "We are treating the matter seriously. Measures have been taken to ensure their safety. Food assistance has been sent, and tin and other materials are being provided to help them rebuild their homes. The land has also been demarcated as government owned khas land."

Anil Rabidas said, "We have been living here for more than fifty years. Now the sons of Janu Mia have come repeatedly, beaten us and torn down our homes. We are now under the open sky with nowhere to go and no idea how we'll survive."

However, accused Siraj Mia claimed, "This land belongs to us. My father allowed these families to live here. Now we plan to build a madrasa on this land. No one was beaten. Some people got angry because the families refused to leave, so they demolished the houses."