'Declare Land Rights Day a national day'

Their other demands are formation of a separate land commission for the indigenous people of plain land and changing the discriminatory anti-poor law of 1994 and distribution of 'khas' land among genuine landless people.

The grand rally was held at Bishnupur Primary School ground in Santhia upazila, Pabna on conclusion of an eight-day national programme chalked out by the Land Rights Day National Observation Committee marking the Land Rights Day. The progra-mme began in Dhaka on June 3.

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The mass rally was presided over by Khushi Kabir, Convenor of the Land Rights Day National Observation Committee while former BBC journalist Ataus Samad addressed the rally as chief guest.

Among others, Abdul Quader, Executive Director, Samata, Shamsul Huda, Executive Director of ADSC, former Pabna Corres-pondent of The Daily Star Ranesh Moitra, Dhaka University Professor Mesbah Kamal, Samata Director Sarwar Alam and representatives of Indian development organisation Akta Parishad, Mertunjoy Oza and Monjuli Dung Dung addressed.

Speakers emphasised on changing the existing 'Shikasti-Payasti' (Land Reclamation Act) in favour of landless people.

Two landless peasants Dulal Kha and Achhia Khatun who actively took part in their movement against the landlords on June 10 narrated their experiences. Achhia who was pregnant for seven months described her bitter story, the way she was beaten and kicked by the musclemen of ruthless landlords sustaining severe injures resulting in abortion of her unborn baby.

A separate land commission for indigenous people of plain land was one of the major demands on the Land Rights Day. The proposed land commission was demanded for protection of their rights after observing the limitations, contradictions and duality of the existing law which discriminate themselves from 'khas' land and inherited property.

There already exists a separate land commission for the indigenous people of Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Ten landless peasants, Hassen Ali, Upen Pal, Anwara Khatun, Abad Ali, Rashid Sarkar, Abu Bakker, Gotan Mistri, Farkani Begum, Nurjahan and Arshad Ali were presented with crests and cash amounting to 5,000 taka in recognition to their contributions to land movement in different parts of the country.

Every year the Land Rights Day is observed by various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations including peasant and landless organisations in memory of Lal Mohan, Intaz Ali, Kalimuddin, Haider Ali and Lokman Hossain who sacrificed their lives and several hundred others who were injured in clashes with the musclemen of landlords for establishment of their rights over the vast Ghughu-daha beel (water body) in Pabna on June 10 in 1985. About 20,000 landless people were engaged in bloody clashes with land grabbers while struggling to establish their rights over government 'khas' lands.