Garo people demand security

The demand was made by the Association at a conference at Mymensingh Press Club on Thursday, which followed attack and ransacking of some houses of indigenous people at Hatilate village in Rangamatia union in Phulbaria upazila on September 24.

Loius Suprovat Jengsum, Phulbaria unit president of TWA, in a written statement at the press conference condemned the attack and silence of the local administration and police regarding this despite complaints.

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Phulbaria TWA secretary Nihar Rema and a large number of Garo people including about 30 women were present at the press conference.

Jengsum alleged that on September 24, some local Bangalee people attacked and ransacked the houses of some Garo people including that of Victoria Sangma on September 24 with a motive to evict them from their ancestral homes. The attackers torched the house of Victoria and looted property.

The victims informed police, who for obvious reasons did not come to their help. This angers the attackers, who came in a larger number on the following day and swooped on the indigenous people's houses in the village, Jengsum alleged.

Victoria filed a case with Phulbaria police station on September 29.

The accused are now on bail and are threatening the indigenous people to withdraw the case or to face further attack, he alleged at the press conference. Victoria Sangma is now living at a relative's house to escape attack. About 200 tribal families are now faced with an eviction threat, it was alleged.

Several thousand tribal people have been living at Hatilate village for over hundred years. Such untoward incident never occurred in the past. "We have been living with peace and amity with non-tribal community for hundred years. Some vested quarters are now trying to evict them from their ancestral houses to grab lands and create tension in the area", Jengsum alleged.

He said the Phulbaria TWA submitted an application to Mymensingh Deputy Commissioner Shah Alam Bakshi on October 12 seeking intervention and action against the attackers but any step to ensure their security is yet to be taken, he said.