A group of prominent citizens have called for punishing those involved in the attack on Santals during an eviction drive by the local administration in Gaibandha’s Gobindaganj.
The group briefed the media in Dhaka under the banner of “Socheton Nagorik” on Saturday after their visit to the affected areas.
Pangkaj Bhatyacharya, Syed Abul Maksud, Dr Abul Barakat and Khushi Kabir spoke at the briefing while Sanjib Drong presented the keynote paper.
On November 6, Gobindaganj upazila administration evicted around 600 Santal families from their ancestral land in Sahebganj-Bagda Sugar Mill area.
Three Santals were killed and several others were injured in the clash. A fourth Santal victim’s body was found later.
A seven-point charter of demands unveiled at Saturday’s briefing include judicial investigation into the incident, punishment of those involved and compensating the victims.
The eviction was carried out by police, RAB and BGB members who were joined by people allegedly loyal to the local MP.
After the incident, police filed cases against the Santals for obstructing the law enforcers from carrying out their duty.
Citizens demand punishment for attackers of Santals