Editorial
Indigenous families in helpless state
Govt must intervene to uphold their rights
Indigenous people of Porsha upazila in Naogaon district have organised a two-day long march under the banner of Jatiyo Adibashi Parishad to protest attacks on them by land grabbers, which have left around three hundred members of the affected families without any shelter.
The attacks are reported to have been launched by a group of local musclemen led by one Nur Hossain Master. The attackers clearly had the sinister objective of driving away the poor, vulnerable indigenous people from their homes as they torched and damaged the houses, and mercilessly beat up the indigenous men, women and children.
What happened in Porsha is no doubt an example of the worst kind of oppression and violation of the rights of a small group of ethnic minority. It also show how these indigenous people end up paupers as their land is being grabbed regularly by influential locals having no respect for the law or the rights of fellow citizens. Matters really become critical when the local administration and law enforcers adopt a do-nothing stand or even help the land grabbers evict the helpless small ethnic groups.
The victims have alleged that the officer in-charge of Porsha police station is abetting the attackers and they have also demanded his immediate removal. This is a serious allegation that needs to be gone into and appropriate step taken by the higher authority. Actually, that is where the problem becomes complex and the extent of gross injustice that the ethnic minorities are exposed to can be gauged without any difficulty. They live in a hostile social setting with the land grabbers pouncing on them from time to time. And their only hope is strict enforcement of the law. But if the law enforcers themselves appear to be backing the predators, where will these people go?
The Porsha incident indicates that the seminars and meetings arranged regularly in the cities to bring into focus the precarious condition of the indigenous people notwithstanding, the ethnic minorities remain vulnerable to impingements on their rights. However, the point is that at least the law enforcers should not support the attackers out to obliterate the very existence of the small ethnic groups. And the government should also be careful and considerate enough not to step on their land or homestead while implementing any project.
Speakers at a seminar held in the city on Sunday very rightly observed that the support of mainstream people is vital for protection of ethnic minority rights. Obviously, land grabbers take advantage of the sad truth that ethnic minority groups usually live in isolation and enjoy little or no legal support. So, the mainstream people, including human rights activists, have to come forward and take a clear stand with a view to preventing repetition of Porsha type assaults on ethnic minorities.
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