An eviction decree, its execution, and the fate of seven Mahle families

An eviction decree, its execution, and the fate of seven Mahle families

Apr 28, 2014 | News Reports

Philip Gain

It is like a scene of war-time devastation in a tiny Mahle village, Pachandor, in Tanor upazila (Rajshahi). Houses with thick mud walls and corrugated tin roofs have been leveled to the ground. Food grain, utensils, beds, clothes, cash, and other household materials are all broken and left mixed with mud. The families are left with nothing. They still have the courage to live around their homesteads in the hope of getting justice.  

The seven Mahle families, whose houses have been thoroughly destroyed in an eviction operation under a court decree report that they have been living on 32 decimals of land, vested property, for a hundred years.   

Three brothers of the neighboring village, Sadipur—Fazlur Rahman, Estab Ali and Anisur Rahman—claim they own the land. “We bought the land in DAG No. 84 from Saber Ali Mondol,” claimed Anisur Rahman (65) youngest of the three brothers.  “We have not done anything wrong in breaking the houses of the Mahles. We have won the case and got decree in our favor. The police and the court just assisted us to evict the illegal occupants.”  

“This is ridiculous,” said Omor Faruque, councilor of Ward no. 1 of Mundamala Pourashava who came to the rescue of the houses from being destroyed but he was ignored. “The seven Mahle families had last taken yearly lease (DCR) in 2013, which means they are up to date with their lease.”  

Two Karmakar families, close to the Mahle families also had their houses in DAG No. 94 partially destroyed.  

The Eviction Operation  

On the day of eviction, 30 March 2014, according to Johon Hasda (65), who now lives under the open sky with his eight family members, reports, “A micro-bus carrying police stopped at our village in  the morning. They were actually giving protection to the brothers (Fazur Rahman, Estab Ali and Anisur Rahaman) and around 150 men. Two more police van also arrived from Tanor Police Station. They started breaking our houses without paying any attention to our cries.”  

Jastina Hembrom (35), standing in the middle of the debris on her homestead, cried and narrated what happened on 30 March: “We were in the field, harvesting wheat, when we heard that our houses were being demolished. We ran to the village. I saw my house being dismantled by around 35 people. I begged them not to destroy my house. I did not understand what to do. I begged them to give me a few days. But they did not pay any attention.”  

“They did not even give us time we begged to move our paddy, rice and other household materials. Later on I found my four sacks of paddy, two sacks of wheat, two kuthis (home-made mud pot to store cereal) of rice scattered and mixed with mud,” said Jastina. She soon became busy with her brother-in-law’s 10-year old daughter Sriti, who got injured from a stone thrown at her. She remained in comma for three hours in a hospital.  

Sicilia Hasda (35), another woman who witnessed her house destroyed gave further description of the appalling story.  “I was working in the field when the news of demolition came. I ran to the village. I became so shocked to see some twenty people demolishing my house of mud walls with tin roof.  

“I was storing 14 maunds (one maund is equivalent to 40 kgs) of wheat, four maunds of mustard, and cash of Tk.5,000 of adivasi women’s organization, GOLAP, of which I am the cashier. I also had 20 maunds of paddy of my own. I begged them to allow me to enter my house. But they did not listen. I helplessly watched my house leveled to the ground. These foodstuffs and cash were all gone with my houses.  The carnage went up to five in the evening.”  

What also astounded the Mahles and their neighbors was that they did not receive prior notice from the court before the decree of 2013 was executed.  

The O.C. and the court representatives (Advocate Commission, surveyor, and Nazir) reportedly ignored the appeals of the Mahle people. “We have merely assisted in executing a decree from the court of law,” said S.M. Bazlur Rashid, O.C. Tanor Thana. However, there is allegation that Bangalees along with the Mahle who appealed to the police to spare the houses were threatened with arrest.  

Quite a few social organizations organized human chains and road blockade on 31 March 2014 to protest against the eviction attempt. However, it was only on 21 April that Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi, Mesbahuddin Chowdhury visited Pachondor, handed over three checks [Taka 3000 each) to three families and committed to give financial support of Tk.3,000 and 30 kgs of rice to each of the nine Mahle and Karmakar families.  

The DC confirmed that the 32 decimals of land that the victims of Pachandor had their houses on is vested property. “It is government property and we will appeal to the court against the decree,” the DC reportedly said during his visit to Pachandor.  

What Awaits the Victims of Pachandor  

About a month has passed since the houses of the Mahle and Karmakar families were destroyed. The families, under severe conditions, still continue to live guarding the debris of their houses and the land. They were terrified at the “atrocious” approaches of people who demolished their houses; but the tiny Mahle community remains bold and believe that they will get justice.  

“We appreciate that the DC of Rajshahi has visited Pachandor and has committed some cash and food grain. These bring little relief. We demand that the seven Mahle families be rehabilitated on the land they have been living on for such long time,” says Rabindranath Soren of Jatyio Adivasi Parishad. “We also demand that the DC’s office quickly files the appeals against the decree and eventually gives permanent settlement of the land to the Mahle families because there is no trace of the original owner of the land.”  

Joseph Mangra Murmu, one of the Mahle family heads says, “We are accepting the relief. But our main demand is that our houses are reconstructed and the land we live on are permanently settled to us.”  

Writer is a researcher and director of Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD).    

http://www.dhakacourier.com.bd/?p=17095

 

Strengthening from within: Enabling change for Bangladesh’s little-known ethnic communities

Strengthening from within: Enabling change for Bangladesh’s little-known ethnic communities

Apr 3, 2014 | Event Reports

In June 2011, without any consideration or consultation with indigenous communities, the Constitution (Fifteenth Amendment) Bill, 2011 was passed, which made all the citizens of the country “Bangalee” by nationality thus forcing homogeneity upon Bangladesh’s ethnically diverse indigenous population and denying them the right to self-identification. Without formal recognition and legitimacy, these groups and their rich distinctive languages, cultures, traditions, technologies and knowledge are in danger of being lost.

Furthermore, adivasis (or indigenous people) are at a greater threat of being displaced due to land grabbing by the politically influential Bangalee majority. Such loss of valuable property has great repercussions for the adivasi communities as this forces them deeper and deeper into a cycle of unemployment, debt, and poverty.

Integral to the protection of little-known ethnic communities is accurate information and monitoring regarding the current state of their population. Thus, Society for Environment and Human Development recently held a workshop titled, “Study and rethinking rights of little-known ethnic communities of Bangladesh” as part of a three year project, “Mapping and capacity building of tea plantation workers and little-known ethnic communities of Bangladesh” to help prepare participants to engage in participatory research, awareness raising and capacity building within their communities.  The workshop, which was held at the premises of Gram Bikash Kendra in Parbatipur, Dinajpur from 21 to 25 March 2014, was attended by representatives from a number of ethnic communities throughout Bangladesh as well as journalists, activists and development workers from a number of different organizations. The ethnic groups represented during the workshop included the Santal, Oraon, Garo, Mahle, Koch, Hodi, Rajwar, Munda and the Paharia.

Resource persons present at the workshop facilitated by Philip Gain included Mr. Moazzem Hossain, chief executive of Gram Bikash Kendra, Dr. Tanzimuddin Khan, Associate Professor, University of Dhaka, Mr. Dulal Chandra Biswas of the University of Rajshahi and Arok Toppo of Caritas Rajshahi. Various adivasi activists also attended the event including Rabindranath Soren from the Jatiyo Adivasi Parishad.

Participants had the opportunity to learn about different aspects of adivasi life and culture from an anthropological perspective from Boktiar Ahmed of the Department of Anthropology, University of Rajshahi. Furthermore, Clara Tumpa Baroi from SIL Bangladesh spoke about the organization’s initiatives to teach and preserve the languages of Bangladesh’s ethnic communities and highlighted the importance of language preservation to the greater culture. “If a community loses its language, it loses its identity. Language is essential in the preservation of culture,” said Baroi.

The participants also received training in writing, developing case studies and profiles as well as various aspects of field research such as conducting surveys, interviews and focus group discussions followed by practical fieldwork and exercises in various adivasi villages around Dinajpur.

Philip Gain, the director of SEHD and Tanzimuddin Khan of the University of Dhaka both highlighted the importance of gathering empirical evidence and the “emic” (bottom-up) research approach to study these communities wherein those being researched are also the researchers.

Through the workshop, participants gained a deeper understanding regarding the diversity of Bangladesh’s ethnic groups as well as the distinctive challenges that they face and must overcome. According to Momota Mankin from the Joenshahi Adivasi Unnayan Parishad, the workshop was an eye-opening experience. “I didn’t realize how many small ethnic groups there were in Bangladesh. In Modhupur, where I am from, we see predominantly only two ethnic groups, the Garos and the Koch. This workshop helped me realize the true ethnic diversity of Bangladesh,” said Mankin.

The workshop also helped develop a greater sense of unity amongst the participants in spite of differences in ethnicity, religion, geography and culture. “We must all work together for our common rights,” stressed Rabindranath Soren, president of Jatiyo Adivasi Parishad.

Bichitra Tirki, a prominent adivasi land rights activist also highlighted the importance of research and documentation for the adivasi rights movement, “We tend to fight for our rights with sticks but we need to do so with words as well, which this workshop will help us do”.

The skills developed during the workshop will allow participants to actively engage in research activities to help study and map these small and little-known and neglected ethnic communities and to define their various needs and constraints thus allowing civil society and other stakeholders to more effectively advocate for their rights and recognition. It is hoped that the tools and resources provided will empower them to act as change makers within their own communities and to create an effective network of researchers and storytellers to make the adivasi communities of Bangladesh an undeniable national voice.

PDF version of report [ Download ]

Asfara Ahmed is a researcher and contributing author at SEHD.

First Published: Dhaka Courier, 3 April 2014