Santals in Bangladesh demand justice on ninth anniversary of 2016 killings

New Delhi, Nov 9 Members of the Santal indigenous community in northern Bangladesh observed the Santal Killing Day on Thursday, marking nine years since three Santal activists were shot dead during a violent land rights protest in Gaibandha district.

According to a report by Cruxnow, more than 700 Santals, Bengalis and Christian activists gathered in front of the district's public library to demand justice for the victims -- Shyamal Hembram, Mangal Mardi and Ramesh Tudu -- who were killed when police opened fire on demonstrators on November 6, 2016.

During the same incident, attackers allegedly linked to the ruling Awami League burned Santal homes, leaving hundreds homeless.

"The murders remain untried, and our land has not been returned," said Philemon Baskey, Convener of the Land Retrieval Committee.

"We want justice for our brothers and the right to live in dignity and security."

The dispute traces back to 1956, when the then East Pakistan government seized Santal farmland to set up the Rangpur Sugar Mill under the Land Requisition Act.

Although an agreement in 1962 stipulated that unused land should be returned to original owners, the mill ceased production in 2004 and the land was never restored.

In response, Santal farmers began reoccupying and cultivating the land, triggering violent clashes with local authorities and mill officials.

"The police opened fire to break up their protest, killing three leaders. Hundreds of families were left homeless after their houses were burned," said Shamsul Huda, Executive Director of the Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) to the Cruxnow.

Santals, one of Bangladesh's oldest indigenous groups, are mostly Christians and estimated to number around half a million.

According to the report, historians describe them as descendants of pre-Aryan settlers who have long faced marginalisation and exploitation under both colonial and post-colonial rule.

Father Liton Hubert Gomes, Secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh, condemned the continued impunity.

"It is deeply disappointing that even after nine years, the Santals have not received justice," he said.

"The government must act to prosecute those responsible and restore their rightful land."

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