Khasis in fear of eviction

We are outraged by the government notice that demands the Khasis of Nahar Punjee in Moulvibazar to vacate the hillocks in which they have been living for generations within a week. The members of this ethnic minority have been paying the government taxes for the acres of government land they occupy to run betel gardens. In Khasi society the land belongs to the collective, because of which they might have never thought of registering the land they inhibit. The government's decision will effectively evict 700 Khasis, among which are women, children and the elderly. The children's educational life will be hampered and the sick among them might witness their health deteriorated. On top of it all, it will render them homeless as the Khasis in the area have never called any place home other than the Punjee. The government seems to have no plans for their rehabilitation. Where, we ask, are they supposed to go? 

We must not forget that Bangladesh is home not only to the Bengali people. From Khasis to Biharis, Santals to Murongs, the country is rich and diverse both ethnically and linguistically. It is disquieting to see that Khasis and other ethnic communities are increasingly falling victim to eviction and land grabbing. 

The government should ensure access of landless and maginalised communities to government-owned khas land, rather than evict them from the land in which they have lived for generations, and as such, are entitled to. Failure to do so would only aggravate the plight of these communities and add to their socio-economic marginalisation.