SP’s transfer as punishment a great intellectual fraud: Ex-NHRC chief

The former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission sees the transfer of the Gaibandha superintendent of police to Khagrhachharhi as a 'great intellectual fraud' by the government.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 26 Feb 2017, 03:38 PM
Updated : 26 Feb 2017, 03:38 PM

"The state thinks the people are fools, stupid; that we don't understand anything. This is a great intellectual fraud," Professor Mizanur Rahman said about the transfer following arson attacks by the police on Santal houses in the district.

Professor Mizanur's comment on the issue came at a function organised in Dhaka to unveil Kapaeeng Foundation's 'Human Rights Report 2016 on Indigenous People of Bangladesh' on Sunday.

"He, on whose order the state machinery set fire to a citizen's house, has been transferred as punishment!

"If my job is transferable, then how the transfer is a punishment for me?" Mizanur wondered.

Rights activists organised protests throughout Bangladesh when three Santal tribespeople were killed during an eviction drive in Gaibandha's Gobindaganj on Nov 6 last year.

A month later, the High Court ordered an investigation when a video of police personnel setting fire to Santal homesteads surfaced.

As the judicial investigator found involvement of the police officials in the arson, the High Court ordered the withdrawal of Gaibandha SP Md Ashraful Islam and others on duty in the area on that day.

Before the court issued the order, Gaibandha MP Manjurul Islam Liton was shot dead at his home in his Sundarganj constituency on Dec 31, leaving Gaibandha police in hot water.

The home ministry on Feb 23 said SP Ashraful had been transferred to Khagrhachharhi and Gobindaganj Police Station OC Subrata Kumar Sarker to Dinajpur.

Former NHRC chairman Mizanur dubbed the home ministry order transferring the officers as 'eyewash'.

"Transferring officers in the name of justice…the people are not fools," he said.

Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum General Secretary Sanjeeb Drong questioned the transfer of a police officer accused of 'attacking minorities' to an area inhabited by tribal groups.

The Kapaeeng Foundation report said the 'grabbing' of land owned by tribal communities in both the plains and the hill tracts increased in 2016 than the previous year.

It said arson attacks on, false cases against, assault on and sexual harassment of tribal people increased in the year.

The Foundation's Executive Director Pallabi Chakma presented the summary of the report at the programme.

Its Chairman Rabindranath Soren and human rights activist Khushi Kabir were also present.