Government Of India’s Indifferent Attitude Led Some Lands Landlocked In Bangladesh
By SHIB SHANKAR CHATTERJEE
Case Study Number – A :
“….. Look, in the enclaves, forcible occupation is a common incident and it occurs off and on. So, it is difficult to keep either any landed property or the crops of the field under control.
Especially in my case, I can say, I was a permanent inhabitant of the chhitmahal, Kote-Bhajni. I had inherited 128 Bighas of land from my father. But, I could not enjoy those landed property due to forceful occupation, robbery and plundering.
Once in a winter morning of 1979, one Mr. Ataur Hussain, a well to do landlord of nearby Bangladeshi village appeared before our door along with 14 to 15 Gunda (that is, ruffian or hooligan)s with traditional sharpen weapons and asked me to vacate the land immediately. Seeing this, some village people also came there to enjoy the ‘game’.
Upon enquiry, he told me that I had sold the land and property to him in 4/5 installments. To prove in fact, he showed a registered notebook or document, which was registered in the Haldibari Sub-Register Office under Jalpaigguri district in North-Bengal areas of the Indian State, West Bengal.
The incident unnerved me and I totally forgot to utter a word. The inhabitants in and around our house also got terrified with the incident and they too dared not to tell anything. I did never go to Haldibari except once in my childhood and that too to pay a visit to the local ethnic fair of Hajur.
I went there (my ancestral house) in a body along with several people of our village. However, nobody put any resistance to that illegal attack and occupation and thus we were driven out from of our landed property. I lost my paddy-land, house and property.
After that, I went to Mekhliganj (under Jalpaigguri district in North-Bengal areas of the Indian State, West Bengal) along with the members of my family and took shelter in one our relative’s house. I could not bring anything with us except a few ornaments.
My family consisted of six members, my wife, three sons, one daughter and I myself. Our days began to pass in great hardship.
In the meantime, I sold my wife’s ornaments, which she got during our marriage time and filed a suit against Mr. A. Hussain and his forcible occupation of our land and property in the Mekhliganj Sub-divisional court. It was but a cheating case. The suit continued for last three years and at last, I won victory. But, yet I could not occupy my land and property.
My wife had died. My younger son is a daily-labour, elder son is a Rikshawala (that is, Rikshaw-puller) and I can’t say, what does my second son do.
Anyway, my present address is the camp erected by Public Work Department (PWD) Road near Deshbandhu Colony and my business is to make Kagojer-Thonga (that is, paper-bag) …..”, reminiscences septuagenarian Umesh Rai Barman of Kote-Bhajni Chhitmahal under Haldibari Police Station (PS) of Jalpaiguri district in North-Bengal areas of the Indian State, West Bengal.
Case Study Number – B :
“….. It was the day for the celebration of my marriage. The Bangladeshi PS, Debigonj, under Panchagarh district is just beside my house. The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of that PS along with 15/16 Police personnel suddenly attacked us with guns in hand and musk on faces with a view to robbing of our property.
Seeing this, a few guests of our village fled away. But, the rest of the guests and family members beat right and left by their sticks and the hilts of guns, bound us with the rope and at last kept confined in a room and then started plundering our belongings (including some valuable articles, which were bought for marriage purpose). I stood motionless and stunned.
Truly speaking, we had to live upon threat. We could not eat, drink and sleep peacefully even, for a day. The Muslims often harassed us and our women almost everyday dishonoured and sexually and physically abused them, which compelled us to loss our patience. Therefore, at last we had come here leaving all we had.
Here, we maintain our livelihood in great hardship, breaking stone, working as daily labour or other such unworthy jobs. Although, all these works may not offer happiness but peace at home. As a result, we can at least sleep unprovoked and save the chastity of our daughters, wives and mothers, et cetera.
But, the question of justice was always beyond expectation. Yet, if we would lodge any complain against any robbery or theft, nothing could happen. On the contrary, oppression or harassment of those people would renew …..”, regretted 55-years-old Keshab Deb Singha of (01 Number) Dahala Khagrabari Chhitmahal under Haldibari Police Station (PS) of Jalpaiguri district in North-Bengal areas of the Indian State, West Bengal.
Case Study Number – C :
“….. I think, especially the women of the Indian Chhitmahals always live in great peril. The ladies from minimum 10-years to maximum 50-years have no freedom to go or move out of the door without the permission of the elders and yet many a time, they cannot preserve their honour.
Lack of security and oppression of the unwanted persons always haunted them. Even everyday, after sunset every women, whether a girl of teenage, young or aged are require to hit out a plan to protect herself either behind the bush or dig a hole et cetera from the harassment of the Bangladeshi miscreants. Nobody cannot sleep at night peacefully.
These anti-social miscreants always pass some abusive remarks at our women class. Not only that but they also threatened to kill us.
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