Evicted Santals receive relief following AL’s assurance

Santals evicted from Shahebganj-Bagda Farm of Rangpur Sugar Mills received relief goods on Wednesday as top ruling Awami League leaders on Tuesday evening assured their leader permanent settlement of the dispute over ownership of 1,842 acres of land of the farm.
At a meeting with the leaders and representatives of Santals at AL president’s Dhanmondi office, the AL leaders assured the Santals that the dispute would be settled at a meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina after her return.
They also assured the Santal leaders of tough actions against AL activists if anybody’s involvement was found in instigating the attack on the Santals.
AL general secretary Obaidul Quader presided over the meeting.
As requested by the AL leaders, the evicted Santal families on Wednesday received relief materials, which they refused on Monday, from the representative of deputy commissioner of Gaibandha.
Two trucks loaded with 150 sacks of rice each containing 20kg, 150 pieces of blankets and other essentials including lentils, salt and edible oil were distributed among the 150 evicted families in presence of executive magistrate Fatematuz-Johora.
Jatiya Adivasi Forum president Rabindranath Soren told New Age that in the meeting Santal community leaders accused local Awami League leader Abul Kalam Azad, also local lawmaker, and local Chhatra League leader Shakil Akhand Bulbul, also local union council chairman, for the attack on them on November 6.
The Santal leaders requested the AL general to take measures so that the Santals could file cases with Gobindaganj police station in connection with the murders and robbery during the eviction.
From the meeting AL general secretary instructed Gaibandha superintendent of police of registering cases filed by Santals, Rabindranath said.
Santals leaders agreed to take the relief materials if distributed by the district administration instead of upazila administration, he said.
Oikya NAP president Pankaj Bhattachrya, who was present at the meeting, said that the meeting made some important decisions to stop police repressions of Santal people at Gobindaganj.
Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan after an inter-ministerial meeting on law and order at the ministry on Wednesday said that the prime minister directed the authorities concerned to rehabilitate the homeless Santals.
On November 6, police along with the local AL activists evicted around 1,500 Santal families from the farm and set ablaze their houses. Two Santals were killed and 20 were injured during the eviction. 

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