Police opened fire on Santals in Gaibandha on magistrates' orders

The magistrates on duty had ordered opening fire during the clash between Santals and workers of a sugar mill in Gaibandha's Gobindaganj, police say.

One of the five magistrates, Gobindaganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Abdul Hannan says the order was given 'considering the situation'.

Three Santal tribesmen were killed and scores were injured when police fired from theor guns to stop the clash over Rangpur Sugar Mill's disputed land in Bagdafarm on Nov 6.

Protests across Bangladesh, including capital Dhaka, are raging against the police firing on the small ethnic group.

Asked why they had opened fire, Gobindaganj Police Station OC Subrata Kumar Sarker told bdnews24.com on Sunday: "Five magistrates were there on that day. Police opened fire following their order to control the situation."   

The four other magistrates are Palashbarhi Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Touhidul Islam, Gobindaganj AC (Land) Ahmed Ali, and District Magistrates Rafiul Islam and Mesbah Uddin.

UNO Hannan told bdnews24.com they had gone to the area after the superintendent of police's office sought magistrates from Gaibandha Deputy Commissioner Md Abdus Samad on that day.

"The order to open fire was given considering the situation at the entire area," he said.

The Santals were staying in several hundred houses on the land, acquired for the sugar mill, for past few years.

The clash erupted when the sugar mill authorities went to recover the land on that day. 

They leveled the land using tractors after burning down and looting the houses.

The mill authorities, however, are blaming the villagers for the attack on the Santals.

The OC and UNO earlier told bdnews24.com they did not conduct any eviction drive.

The sugar mill acquired the 1840-acre land of 18 villages belonging to the Santals and Bengalis in 1962 to cultivate sugarcane.

Visiting the area on Wednesday, Supreme Court lawyer Jotirmoy Barua referred to the acquirement contract and said the authorities would have to return the land to the owners through the government if it is used for purposes other than cultivating sugarcane.

"We earlier saw that rice and tobacco were being cultivated on the land. Gaibandha district administration also made an investigative report on the matter. The mill breached the contract," he said.

AL probe team in Gaibandha

A delegation of ruling Awami League visited the Santals in the area on Friday and promised them that those responsible for the mayhem will be brought to justice after investigation.

The members of the Santal tribe alleged that local MP Abul Kalam Azad and Sapmara Union Parishad Chairman Shakil Akand Bulbul instigated the attack on them.

They also demanded justice for the incident, compensation and return of the land.

Awami League Organising Secretary BM Mozammel Haque, who headed the delegation, said, "We've heard from the Santals about the violence. We will try the real culprits."

Another Organising Secretary Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself made and sent the investigation committee.

"She wants the actual incident revealed after proper investigation."

He said the issues of establishing a primary school at the Santal village, compensating the victims and returning the land would be settled in a legal way.