The magistrate was sent as a representative of the deputy commissioner, as the homeless Santals refused to accept aid from the UNO, Abdul Hannan, on November 10 alleging that the UNO had ordered the police to open fire on the Santals. Also Read- Gaibandha Santals repudiate government reliefThe upazila administration evicted around 600 households from their ancestral land in Sahebganj-Bagda Sugar Mill area on November 6 and 7. After the incident, the authorities filed cases against the Santals for barring the law enforcers from carrying out their duties. But as per the lease agreements signed with the local Santals, the land is supposed to be returned back to the owners if it is not used for producing sugarcane. Also Read- Evicted Santals of Gaibandha to get new homesThe evicted Santals have been staying under the open sky and have limited access to water and foods since the brutal attack.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 16, 2016 17:32 UTC