Himu's Window

সেচের পানি না পেয়ে রাজশাহীর গোদাগাড়িতে ২ সাঁওতাল কৃষক আত্মহত্যা করেছেন বলে তদন্ত কমিটিকে জানিয়েছে স্থানীয় কৃষকরা। আজ মঙ্গলবার কৃষি মন্ত্রণালয়ের তদন্ত কমিটি রাজশাহীর গোদাগাড়ী উপজেলা পরিদর্শনে গেলে কয়েকজন কৃষক তাদেরকে জানান, গভীর নলকূপের অপারেটর সাখাওয়াত হোসেন ক্ষুদ্র কৃষকদের পানি দেন না। তিনি ঘুষ নিয়ে নিজের পছন্দের কৃষকদের পানি দেন। এদিকে অভিযুক্ত সাখাওয়াতের স্বজনরা কমিটিকে বলেছেন, ওই দুই কৃষকের পানির কোনো সংকট ছিল না। গত ২৭ মার্চ রাজশাহীতে বিষপানে দুই কৃষক- অভিনাথ মার্ডি (৩৬) ও রবি মার্ডির (২৭) আত্মহত্যার ঘটনায় ৪ সদস্যের তদন্ত কমিটি গঠন করে কৃষি মন্ত্রণালয়। অভিযোগ ওঠে, সেচের পানি না পেয়ে তারা আত্মহত্যা করেছেন। বিষয়টি খতিয়ে দেখতে কৃষি মন্ত্রণালয়ের যুগ্ম সচিব মো. জুবাইর হোসেন বাবলুর নেতৃত্বে ৪ সদস্যের তদন্ত কমিটি করা হয়েছে। কমিটির বাকি সদস্যরা হলেন — রাজশাহীর জেলা প্রশাসক আব্দুল জলিল, বিএডিসির (নাটোর) নির্বাহী প্রকৌশলী (ক্ষুদ্রসেচ) সাজ্জাদ হোসেন এবং বিএমডিএর (নওগাঁ) নির্বাহী প্রকৌশলী সমশের আলী। কমিটিকে ২ কৃষকের মৃত্যুর কারণ অনুসন্ধান ও সময়মতো সেচের পানি না দেওয়ার অভিযোগ তদন্ত করে ...

While the probe committee from the Ministry of Agriculture visited Rajshahi's Godagari upazila today, many farmers elaborately told them that the death of two santal farmers was primarily because the operator deprived them of irrigation water. They told the committee members that the deep tube-well operator Sakhawat Hossain deprived the small farmers and gave water to his choicest farmers in return for bribes. However, some farmers, some of them relatives of Sakhawat, informed the committee that there was no water crisis, reports our Rajshahi staff correspondent. Md Abu Jubayer Hossain Bablu, a joint secretary of the ministry, was leading a four-member committee. Other committee members are: Muhammad Shariful Haque, ADC (Revenue) Rajshahi; Md Sazzad Hossain, executive engineer of BADC, Natore; and Md Shamsher Ali, executive engineer, BMDA, Naogaon. Ministry of Agriculture formed the probe team on March 27 after Abhinath Mardi and Robi Mardi committed suicide. Abhinath's wife R...

রাজশাহীর গোদাগাড়ীর ঈশ্বরীপুর গ্রামের গভীর নলকূপ অপারেটর সাখাওয়াত হোসেনের বিরুদ্ধে গত ২ বছরের বেশি সময় ধরে পানি সরবরাহে গাফিলতির অভিযোগ করে আসছেন কৃষকরা। কিন্তু বরেন্দ্র বহুমুখী উন্নয়ন কর্তৃপক্ষ (বিএমডিএ) সেসব অভিযোগ কখনো কানে তোলেনি। ঈশ্বরীপুরের ওই নলকূপ থেকে অন্তত ১৫০ জন কৃষক তাদের ২৫০ বিঘা জমিতে সেচ দিয়ে থাকেন। এ ছাড়া, ওই নলকূপ থেকে স্থানীয় অধিবাসীদের খাবার পানির যোগান দেওয়া হয়। গত বুধবার ২ সাঁওতাল কৃষক ওই নলকূপের কাছে কীটনাশক পান করার পর অভিযোগের বিষয়টি সামনে আসে। অভিনাথ মার্ডি ওই রাতেই এবং তার চাচাতো ভাই রবি মার্ডি শুক্রবার রাতে মারা যান। ২ কৃষকের মধ্যে একজনের পরিবার নলকূপ চালকের বিরুদ্ধে তাদের কৃষি জমিতে সেচের পানি সরবরাহে অবহেলার অভিযোগ করেছে। শুক্রবার রাতে অভিনাথের স্ত্রী বাদী হয়ে উপজেলার দেওপাড়া ইউনিয়নের ওয়ার্ড কৃষক লীগের সভাপতি সাখাওয়াতকে আসামি করে গোদাগাড়ী থানায় একটি মামলা দায়ের করেন। সাখাওয়াতের বিরুদ্ধে স্থানীয় কৃষকদের করা অভিযোগের অন্তত দুটি কপি দ্য ডেইলি স্টারের হাতে এসেছে। একটি অভিযোগ বিএমডিএ'র গোদাগাড়ী অফিসে ২০২০ সালের নভেম্বরে এবং অন্যটি ২০২১ সালের নভ...

Farmers had been complaining against Sakhawat Hossain, the deep tube-well operator of Issoripur village in Rajshahi's Godagari, for not supplying irrigation and drinking water over last two years. But the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) ignored those. At least 150 farmers irrigate 250 bighs from that tube-well. This issue came to the fore when two Santal farmers drank pesticides on Wednesday near the tube-well allegedly after they were denied irrigation water supply. Abhinath Mardi died that night and his cousin Robi Mardi on Friday night. On Friday night, Abhinath's wife filed a case with Godagari Police Station accusing Sakhawat, also president of a ward unit Krishak League at Deopara union of the upazila, of provoking suicide of the farmers. The Daily Star obtained copies of complaints lodged by farmers. One was submitted to BMDA's Godagari office in November 2020 and the other in November 2021. Local lawmaker Omor Faruk Chowdhury signed the letters, ad...

রাজশাহীর গোদাগাড়ীতে গত ২৩ মার্চ বিকেলে ২ সাঁওতাল কৃষকের বিষ পান করার ঘটনার পর থেকে তাদের একজনের পরিবার দাবি করে আসছিলেন যে স্থানীয় গভীর নলকূপের চালক সাখাওয়াত হোসেন তাদের জমিতে সেচের পানি দিতে অস্বীকার করেছিলেন। সেই রাতে সাঁওতাল কৃষক অভিনাথ মার্ডির মৃত্যুর পর তার পরিবারের সদস্যরা পুলিশকে বারবার জানিয়েছিলেন, সাখাওয়াতই তাকে তুচ্ছতাচ্ছিল্য করেছেন এবং বিষ পান করতে প্ররোচনা দিয়েছেন। পুলিশ তখন ঘটনার শিকার পরিবারের সদস্যদের কারো কথায় কান দেয়নি। সেই সুযোগে সাখাওয়াত এলাকায় লোকজন জড়ো করে সাঁওতাল কৃষকদের ভয় দেখিয়ে দাবিয়ে রাখার চেষ্টা করেন। সাখাওয়াত হোসেন কৃষক লীগের স্থানীয় ওয়ার্ড কমিটির সভাপতি। শুক্রবার রাতে অভিনাথ মার্ডির স্ত্রী গোদাগাড়ি থানায় গিয়ে সাখাওয়াতকে অভিযুক্ত করে আত্মহত্যার প্ররোচনা দেওয়ার অভিযোগে একটি মামলা দায়ের করার পর থেকে পুলিশ বলছে সাখাওয়াতকে খুঁজে পাওয়া যাচ্ছে না। তিনি আত্মগোপনে চলে গেছেন। রাজশাহীর এসপি এবিএম মাসুদ হোসেন রোববার বিকেলে দ্য ডেইলি স্টারকে বলেন, 'আমরা অভিযুক্তকে গ্রেপ্তার করতে পুলিশের একটি টিম পাঠিয়েছিলাম। তবে অভিযুক্ত ব্যক্তি কোনোভাবে জেনে যায় ভিকটিমের স্ত্রী...

The deep tube-well operator, who is being held responsible by the family of Santal farmer Abhinath Mardi for instigating his suicide in Rajshahi's Godagari Wednesday, has gone into hiding, said police. Locals said Sakhawat Hossain, operator of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority's (BMDA's) deep tube-well in Ishwaripur village, did not supply water to Abhinath's paddy field which was badly needed. They added that they saw Sakhawat, also president of a ward unit Krishak League at Deopara union of the upazila, in the locality before Abhinath's wife filed a suicide provocation case against him with Godagari Police Station Friday night. "We sent a police team to arrest the accused. But the accused somehow got the information that the victim's wife went to the police station to file a case and he fled," Rajshahi SP ABM Masud Hossain told The Daily Star Sunday afternoon. He said, "It would have been unwise for police to arrest anyone before being ...

  The deep tube-well of Issoripur village in Godagari upazila. Amid lax monitoring by the authorities, many deep tube-well operators have been depriving small farmers in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon of their fair share of water for irrigation. Those operators delay releasing water from their pumps, which leads to frequent crop loss for the farmers. Thrown in a situation they simply cannot cope with, the farmers are then forced into selling their land or leasing out land to others. Many of them leave farming for good and become day labourers to survive. In many cases, the tube-well operators, who have money and political connections, buy those land or take them on lease to grow their own crops, The Daily Star has learnt after talking to several such farmers as well as experts and development activists in the Barind region. On the other hand, the well-off farmers, who pay the operators extra money, are supplied with the irrigation water on time, they also said. On Wednesday,...

Robi Mardi Another farmer who drank pesticide in Godagari upazila on Wednesday died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital last night. Robi Mardi, 27, son of Goyanath Mardi of Nimghutu village in Godagari, had been hospitalised since Wednesday night, hospital employees said. Robi's cousin Abhinath Mardi, 36, died at his home in the same village on Wednesday night after also drinking pesticide. Both men belong to the Santal community. Abhinath Mardi On Thursday, after police recovered Abhinath's body from his home, Additional SP Iftekhayer Alam of Rajshahi said in primary probe police found that the two had drunk the pesticide for not getting water for their farmland. Locals had said Abhinath and Robi badly needed irrigation water and were being ignored by Shakhawat Hossain, the operator of the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority's (BMDA's) deep tube-well in Ishwaripur village, for over two weeks. On Wednesday afternoon, they took pesticides with them and visited Sha...

A farmer in Rajshahi's Godagari upazila died on Wednesday after he and his cousin drank pesticide, police said. In primary probe police found that the two had drunk the pesticide for not getting water for their farmland, said Additional SP Iftekhayer Alam of Rajshahi, adding that the matter was still under investigation and that police have recorded an unnatural death case. Both men belong to the Santal community. Abhinath Mardi, 36, died at his home the day after he took the pesticide, said Kamrul Islam, officer-in-charge of Godagari Police Station. The deceased's cousin, Robi Mardi, 27, is undergoing treatment at the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, the OC added. Police recovered Abhinath's body from his home yesterday morning and sent it to RMCH for autopsy. According to police, eye-witnesses and locals, the two cousins drank the pesticide near a deep tube-well of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) at Ishwaripur village of the same union around 5:30pm. H...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Over a thousand members of the indigenous Mahali community observed Jitia Parbon (a Mahali festival) at Baganpara village under Godagari upazila last Saturday amidst much fanfare. Mahali children, women, and men from some 18 villages of Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainwabganj participated in the daylong festival that started from midnight. The remote Baganpara village reverberated with life as groups of Mahalis danced with the beats of dhol, madol and other traditional instruments. The festival formally started with a prayer for the well being of the country. Although the festival is considered to be the biggest social event of the Mahali community, it was not observed for about half a century until the celebration resumed last year. "Mahalis withdrew from celebrating the festival since many of them converted to Christianity. But now, we find our existence as Mahalis is at stake and this festival is part of our identity," said Zakar...

Published On: 2009-08-01   Lawmaker Fazle Hossain Badsha at a discussion in Rajshahi yesterday said an initiative has been taken to form a parliamentary body to resolve the problems of indigenous people in the plain land. The JS body would play role in creating opinions in parliament for the formation of a separate land commission with a view to solving the several decades old land-related problems, he added. "After the body is formed, it will hear opinions of the indigenous people for helping the parliament make a law, if necessary, as well as pressurise the government for establishing social status of the underprivileged ethnic minority," said Badsha. The grand alliance lawmaker warned that many officials in the police and district administrations are still loyal to the four-party alliance and the government is facing problems in functioning properly for them. "The pro-BNP-Jamaat officials are desperate enough to allow BNP hooligans to set fire to the ...

Monday, July 27, 2009   Over two hundred members of the indigenous community yesterday began a two-day long march across 55 kilometres from Porsha upazila to Naogaon town yesterday to protest attacks on indigenous families. The march was organised under the banner of Jatiya Adibashi Parishad (JAP) after a gang led by Nur Hosssain Master of Soraigachhi attacked the houses of some 74 families including 54 indigenous families at Katirpur on June 12. They torched, damaged and looted the houses and also randomly beat up indigenous men, women and children during the attack. Since the attack, some 300 members of the affected families have been left without homes, and the local administration has not come forward to help them, the protesters allege. On the first day yesterday, the protesters walked some 30 kilometres from Soraigachhi in Porsha to Mohadevpur upazila sadar. They will be joined by 300 more people this morning as they begin the march to Naogaon town. At Na...

Saturday, June 20, 2009 Editorial Eviction of indigenous people There must be zero tolerance for this kind of action The news out of Khatirpur at Porsha in Naogaon, where over 50 indigenous families have been attacked and forcibly evicted from their land, shocks us all. We unequivocally condemn this barbarous act, and strongly urge the government to take remedial action. The victimisation of Bangladesh's indigenous populations is, unfortunately, not a new phenomenon. We feel that the government has a special responsibility to protect the country's minority communities and to ensure that none of their rights are violated. It is because of their being in a minority, being out of the mainstream of society that land-grabbers and other criminal elements feel emboldened to cheat them or deny them of their rights. Powerful members of the majority community calculate that no one will lift a finger to help such marginalised people, and that they can thus be targeted with impunity. The ...

Sunday, February 1, 2009 Indigenous people in Rajshahi seek constitutional provision Indigenous children and leaders at a discussion here yesterday demanded constitutional provisions for their primary education in mother tongue. At the discussion styled 'We Want to Study in Mother Tongue' organised by Jatiya Adibashi Parishad (JAP) at Rajshahi Shilpakala Academy auditorium, they demanded nationalisation of existing two indigenous schools in Rajshahi and establishing at least one school at every village in the region. Learning without mother tongue is a major obstacle to primary education for ethnic students, said Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, who attended the discussion as chief guest. He said he would place the demands before the prime minister. Inaugurating the discussion, eminent littérateur Hasan Azizul Haque said government institutions as well as NGOs must come forward to ensuring education for the ethnic minorities. The goal of education for all cannot be achiev...

At least ten persons including two women from six indigenous communities are contesting for vice chairman posts in the upazila election in Rajshahi division. Five of them are from Santal tribe and one each from Razoar, Urao, Munda, Ganju and Rajbansi tribes. Two of them are housewives, one village doctor while the other candidates mentioned agriculture as their profession in the affidavits. In the affidavit, one indigenous candidate mentioned that he graduated in Social Science, two candidates passed HSC, one passed SSC, five read at high school while one mentioned that he is literate. Indigenous leaders are participating in local government election for the first time this year, said Rabindranath Saren, general secretary of Jatiya Adibasi Parishad (JAP). "Such participation will help empowering indigenous people in local government as well as upholding our history of depravity and losses of lives and properties". JAP sources said 38 different indigenous ...

'Indigenous women should be vocal for rights'   Speakers at a discussion in Rajshahi yesterday said indigenous women should raise their voice to ensure their rights. The government had to step back from implementing the National Women Development Policy following movement against it, they said at a discussion on 'CEDAW and rights of indigenous and minority women' at the auditorium of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Jatiya Adibasi Parishad (JAP), Institute for Environment and Development (IID) and Bangladesh Nari Pragati Sangha (BNPS) jointly organised the programme. Constitutional status of the indigenous people is yet to be acknowledged and the condition aboriginal women is not satisfactory, said Workers' Party politburo member Fazle Hossain Badsha in his speech as the chief guest at the discussion. He suggested that the aboriginal women get organised to join the mainstream movement for ensuring women's rights. The government should...

Published On: 2008-04-03 National 15 evicted indigenous families in Patnitala finally get land deeds Finally, Naogaon district administration distributed deeds of permanent settlement of about 1.33 acres of khas land among 15 landless indigenous families in North Kazipara in Dibor union under Patnitala upazila. Some local land grabbers evicted them from the lands in November last year. The deeds were written at a simple ceremony, held at Patnitala on March 31. Sudhir Tirki, president of Patnitala unit of Jatiya Adibashi Parishad, Gulu Murmu, president of the upazila unit of Adibashi Samaj Unnayan Shangathan, Rakhi Mrong, publication secretary of Bangladesh Adibashi Odhikar Andolon and organising secretary Kerina Hasda were present on the occasion. The 15 people who got the land deeds are Nikhil Ekka, Khuyu Kujur, Kison Kerketa, Shusil Toppo, Buddhinath Kujur, Banu Ekka, Khuyu Ekka, Hembo Ekka, Subol Lakra, Rupchan Ria, Chanua Nania, Palanu, Anil Toppo, Rabi Ekka an...

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=19607   Govt must ensure welfare of indigenous people Speakers tell Gono Gobeshak Confce   Girls from indigenous community perform a dance number at a function marking the Gono Gobeshak Conference at Tanore in Rajshahi.   Speakers at the Gono Gobeshak Conference yesterday said the government must play a major role in ensuring welfare of underprivileged indigenous groups. They said the achievements of different NGOs in development of neglected indigenous ethnic societies are small in comparison to their huge population. So, government should undertake an initiative to follow the examples of Gono Gobeshak (researchers among rural poor) programme. Eminent litterateur Prof Hasan Azizul Haque attended the conference as the chief guest while Rabindranath Saren, general secretary, Jatiya Adibashi Parishad, Rina Roy, director (Rights), Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), and Tanore Upazila Nirbahi Officer Majedur Rahman...

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=19495   Switzerland to spend 20m francs annually for dev projects for five yrs     Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh Dora Rapold yesterday said her country would spend up to 20 million Swiss francs annually for different development projects for next five years. "We have defined our priorities which include strengthening of the local government and spreading of education among the rural poor," she said. "Our second priority will be rural employment and income generating activities apart from funding on micro-credit and small entrepreneur promotion," she added. Dora was talking to The Daily Star after her visit to some projects involving indigenous groups on fisheries, sanitation and water distribution system at Tanore and Mohonpur upazilas. "We took Rajshahi and Sunamganj as our priority region considering povert...

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=10504   Published On: 2007-11-06 Land-grab in Naogaon Goons ransack indigenous neighbourhood     A gang of criminals attacked an indigenous neighbourhood and injured at least 15 people and torched, looted and ransacked 19 houses in a bid to evict the inhabitants from the land at Uttar Kazipara of Patnitala upazila in Naogaon yesterday morning. The gang of 50 equipped with sticks and machetes swooped on the indigenous families around 7:30am. Around 50 indigenous families used to live on the land. The inhabitants initially tried to resist but had to fall back within minutes. The attackers then went on a rampage and set fire to several houses. Police rushed there and arrested five people on the spot. They are union parishad member Helal Uddin, Lutfar Rahman, Azizar Rahman, Ruhul Amin Sagar and Motibul Islam. The victims were seen weeping on their ravaged homestead. The district administration officials in the ...