Adibashi Minority Families evicted unlawfully at Narail, Bangladesh

Report: The daily Alor Jagat dated 8th September, 2009.

A group of land grabbers forcefully evicted four Adibashi Minority Families from their peaceful possession of land and they sowed banana trees thereon. It is alleged that the land grabbers did not even allow the minority families to eat their foods during eviction.
Presently those family members are out of their homeland and fleeing for fear of lives. The incident took place on 5th September, 2009 at Chandibarpur Union of Sadar Upazila of Narail District. Detailed information has been collected from our correspondent Shariful Islam.
Facts of the case is that Sunil Biswas, Sreepati Biswas, Kartik Biswas, Ganesh Biswas and Tapan Biswas of same locality, by inheritance, got lands and living peacefully on 30 decimals of lands. But all on a sudden on 5th September, 09 Akbar Ali, Omar Ali, Rajan, Billal with more 20/25 attackers forcefully entered into their homesteads and evicted them with duress and threat. The perpetrators demolished their homesteads and sowed banana trees on the vacant land. The victim family member – Ms. Anima Biswas reported INB some months ago the perpetrators also cut mango trees, coconut trees etc. from the lands. Local Enayet Kazi informed that “we saw from my boyhood the Adibashi families are permanent inhabitants of this land”.
Ms.Malina Begum- on behalf of perpetrators informed INB that the lands in dispute were purchased by them some years ago. She also said Adibashi families left their homestead at their own accord and without any intervention.
In this connection Kartik Das lodged F.I.R. at local Sadar police station against 14 perpetrators. Police only arrested one Ramjan Kha of village Gandarba Khali.
Billal Hossain – Vice Chairman of Sadar Upazila told that he heard this forceful eviction and this act is surely a condemnable act. Law will take its own course if anybody found responsible for such eviction.
G.G. Biswas – Officer-in-Charge of Sadar police station informed that legal action is on process and responsible persons will be brought to book.
However, no action has been taken till writing this report