News desk: Adding fuel to the controversy over the violent eviction of Santals in Gaibandha district, a new video footage has shown police and some others setting fire to the tribals’ homes in Gabindaganj upazila last month. The footage, obtained by Qatar-based TV channel Al-Jazeera, challenges the police’s earlier claim that they were forced to take action against rioting Santals, who had attacked government workers with bows and arrows. In the video, however, some policemen are seen saying that they were following the orders of their superiors and they knew what they were doing. “We wanted to make it sure that nobody could create any trouble here,” a police officer named Abdul Jalil said in the video clip that surfaced on Sunday.
Contacted over phone, Superintendent of Police (SP) in Gaibandha M Ashraful Islam told The Independent that the police did not set fire to the households of Santal people intentionally.
When referred to the Al Jajeera video that clearly showed that some policemen were setting fire to a Santal house without anyone of the tribesmen around, Ashraful refrained from making any comments. He, however, said that the police headquarters will give its official statement on the matter today (Tuesday).
In a related development, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman Kazi Reazul Haque said those involved in evicting Santals and setting fire to their houses should be brought to justice.
“Persons of different religions, including Santals, have equal rights. Our Constitution says so. Nobody can be evicted or their houses torched. Those who are involved in such incidents should be given exemplary punishment,” Haque said while visiting the affected Santal families in Gabindaganj upazila yesterday. He later addressed a rally at Madarpur.
The NHRC chief also said, “Whatever be the manner, either legally or illegally, the Santals have set up their homes on sugarcane farms. But their eviction was not carried out in a legal manner. It could have been carried out following a court directive.”
The Santals who met Haque were armed with bows, arrows and sticks. When asked the reason, they told him that it was for their own safety.
“It is shameful,” the NHRC chief said, indignant at the alleged lack of safety for the tribals.
He also visited the church at Madarpur and talked to some Santals there. He assured them that he would report the many injustices he had witnessed after visiting the area to the government. Haque was accompanied by NHRC director Sharifuddin, the convener and a member of the Parliamentary Caucus on Indigenous People—respectively MP Fazle Hossain Badsha and Tipu Sultan—and Prof. Mesbah Kamal.
Santals had clashed with the workers of Rangpur Sugar Mills and police on November 6 following an attempt by the workers to evict them from the mill area. At least three Santals were killed and several others injured in the clash.
Following the violence, the evicted Santal families have been living in makeshift houses and passing their days in uncertainty.
Though the local administration tried to provide them relief materials, the Santals had refused to accept them. They only relented after getting assurances that steps would be taken in their favour.
Police had initially refused to lodge a case, and only did so after 11 days of the violence. They later arrested around 21 people in this connection. On November 21, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua had submitted a writ petition on behalf of two Santal women—Olivia Hembrom, wife of Dijen Tudu, and Rumila Kisku, wife of Ganesh Murmu—seeking a judicial probe into the attack.
Taking up the petition, the court had issued a rule next day asking why the looting, arson, shooting and killing of Santals in the name of eviction should not be declared illegal.
The court also asked why the authorities concerned should not be directed to take legal action under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) against those involved in the attack.
