Santals in Bangladesh Demand Justice on Ninth Anniversary of 2016 Killings

New Delhi — Members of the Santal indigenous community in northern Bangladesh observed Santal Killing Day on Thursday, marking nine years since three activists were killed during a violent land rights protest in Gaibandha district in 2016.

According to a report by Cruxnow, more than 700 Santals, Bengalis, and Christian activists gathered outside the Gaibandha District Public Library to demand justice for the victims — Shyamal Hembram, Mangal Mardi, and Ramesh Tudu — who were shot dead when police opened fire on demonstrators on November 6, 2016.

During the same incident, attackers allegedly linked to the ruling Awami League reportedly set fire to Santal homes, displacing hundreds of families.

“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 dates back to 1956, when the then East Pakistan government seized Santal farmland under the Land Requisition Act to establish the Rangpur Sugar Mill. Although a 1962 agreement stipulated that any unused land should be returned to its original owners, the mill stopped operations in 2004, and the land was never restored.

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

“The police opened fire to disperse protesters, killing three community 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), speaking to Cruxnow.

The Santals, one of Bangladesh’s oldest indigenous groups, are predominantly Christian and number roughly half a million. Historians describe them as descendants of pre-Aryan settlers who have long suffered marginalisation and exploitation under both colonial and post-colonial governments.

Father Liton Hubert Gomes, Secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh, condemned the continued lack of accountability.

“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.”

With inputs from IANS