Attempt to evict indigenous people in Gazipur
Cadres of under construction Libas Textile Mills Ltd attacked Andarmanik village of Mowchak Union under Kaliakoire upazila on March 5 and injured thirty people including a three-year-old girl Meem Akhter critically by throwing brickbats.
They also damaged 50 houses and left the place threatening that they will blow up the village with bomb.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Prior to the attack, cadres of Salman Khan, owner of the textile mill, called indigenous leader Manindra Chandra Barman and landless leader Abdul Aziz to mill area saying that their boss wanted to talk to them. But when they entered the mill, local terrorists led by Liton hit Manindra with rod.
On information villagers rushed to the spot to rescue him and admitted him to Kaliakoire Upazila Health Complex.
While visiting the village, local people told this correspondent that the mill authorities filled a case with Kaliakoire Police Station on March 11 accusing five people of the village including Manindra and Aziz of demanding a toll of Tk 50,000 from the mill owner.
The villagers also lodged a case with the same police station on the same day after the mill authorities lodged their case.
Talking to The Daily Star landless leader Aziz said Salman bought some land adjacent to the village and illegally encroached 2.65 acres of khas land evicting ten landless families recently to install the factory.
Inspired by the land grabbing, Salman launched the attack on the villagers on March 5 to evict some 500 inhabitants, he added.
He said Md Shafiqur Rahman of Shafipur Union Land office lodged a case with Kaliakoire Police Station on March 9 accusing Salman of grabbing 2.65 acre of khas Land.
Protesting the attack Bangladeshi Adibashi Forum Gazipur Unit and Andarmanik Bhumihin Samabaai Samity Ltd jointly organised a rally at the village.
Gono Forum leader Pankaj Bhattacharya, Prof Mesbah Kamal of Dhaka University, Assistant Editor of the Jugantor Sohrab Hossain and President of Bangladesh Adibashi Forum Sanjeeb Drong spoke at the rally.