Civil society urges protection as 16 Garo families in Sylhet face eviction

Residents say a local housing company threatened them with eviction

Civil society representatives have demanded that 16 Garo families in Sadar Upazila, Sylhet, not be evicted without rehabilitation, as they live in fear of removal.

The Garo families have been living in the Khadimnagar Union of the Upazila for 60 to 70 years. They have allegedly been threatened recently with eviction by a local housing company.

Upon receiving the news, a civic delegation visited the scene on Friday, led by Mustafa Shahzaman Chowdhury Bahar, convenor of the Sylhet branch of the environmental organisation Dhoritri Rokhhay Amra (DHORA).

He said the country’s small ethnic groups are peaceful, and Garo families have lived in the Kallagram village for generations, building homes and paying taxes.

Mustafa emphasised the importance of protecting children, women, and the elderly.

About 80 people from three generations live on 25.7 decimals of land, with national ID cards listing the neighbourhood.

The delegation visited to assess the crisis and found that, despite promises of permanent rehabilitation, a local influential group seeks immediate eviction, violating human rights.

The small water stream, on which the Garos depend, is heavily polluted by industrial waste from BSCIC Industrial City, and planned soil dumping threatens to block its flow, endangering the Garo families.

The Garos living near the stream will be unable to survive due to the stench of polluted water, which the delegation deems a matter of deep concern and fear.

The delegation requested the local administration to stand by the families.