Adivasi village burnt-down in Porsha upazila of Naogaon district

On 12 June 2009 the land-grabbers attacked an Adivasi village at Porsha upazila of Naogaon district and burnt-down 74 houses. At least four hundred people assembled with grievous weapons under the leadership of one Nur Hossain Master and his son Nazrul Haque and attacked village Khatirpur Upar-Sonadanga in Chhaor union.

The piece of land at the centre of dispute is a 18 bigha plot owned by two Santal brothers Chotka Mardi and Turka Mardi both of whom left for India during a communal tension a few years ago while their family members stayed back. Now Nur Hossain claims that they sold the land to him and want their nephew, Mr. Jerta Mardi alias Bondhon of village Kusumkunda, to get the permission of Adivasi land transfer done from the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Jerta Mardi refused to do that and Nur Hossain threatened to kill him by running a car over him.

Being threatened, Jerta Mardi raised the matter with local leaders like Azizul Islam, Mozibur Rahman, Ruhul Amin, Keram Uddin and Eshahak Ali and many others besides their own community leaders. The Bengali social leaders suggested the Adivasis to begin to live on the plot in order to keep the land under their possession. Accordingly, 56 Adivasi families settled down there and also allowed 18 landless Bengali families to reside there. Nur Hossain hired lathials from Gomastapur and tried to evict them on that day. Adivasis also tried to protect themselves with bows and arrows but they were overpowered. Police stood silent half a kilometer away and only moved in when every household, Adivasi and Bengali, was torched and looted. Many were critically injured including Sutar Kisku (45), Suren Murmu (35), Biswanath Hembram (28), Rajina Hasdak (32), Hosne Ara (32), Mosrefa and Deljan (70).

This News Release prepared in accordance with the report of Mesbah Kamal, Spokesperson, Adivasi Coalition

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A Buddhist Zadi plundered in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazaar district

On 13 June at night an ancient Zadi situated on top of Nilla Bazaar hill has been broken. Nilla is 12 miles north of Teknaf (Kayoukchoung) in the district of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. It is not yet known whether it was an act of zealotry or was it merely plundered in search of treasure. Buddhist community from Teknaf visited the site the following morning on June 13, 2009. They found one of the Zadi partly broken having being dug from underneath the gu entrance. Some pictures are attached herewith. There are three Zadi on top of the hill and the biggest one has been found plundered. These Zadis could be seen clearly as we travel on road from Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf and also from the Burma side of river Naff that divide the two countries. The houses nearby that you will see in the pictures are the illegal Kala encroachments that they had settled not without the support of the local muscle men and goons. The local Buddhist community there in Nilla is very small (microscopic in act) in number and their faint voices could hardly reach the top helm of the Bangladesh government.

This News Release has been prepared in accordance with the report of Ven. U Bodhinyana , from Teknaf