Dhaka: The High Court (HC) on Wednesday summoned the superintendent of police (SP) of Gaibandha to appear before the court on 8 January for explaining the choice of words ‘Bengali miscreants’ that he used in a report on the clash between Santals and police on 6 November 2016.

A two-member HC bench comprising Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath passed the order when Deputy Attorney General Motahar Hossain Saju informed the court about the matter.

Earlier, Gaibandha SP Ashraful Islam was summoned to appear before the bench on 2 January.

However, Chief Justice SK Sinha announced to shut down judicial activities on 2 January to mourn the loss of two justices of the High Court division and Appellate Division.

The court summoned the SP to appear before the court on 2 January as the DC informed the court that the report was made by the SP.

Earlier on 7 December, the HC summoned the DC to explain the choice of words in the report.

On 30 November, Gaibandha SP, DC and the authorities of Rangpur Sugar Mills submitted three reports to the HC.

In his report, the DC said, ‘Members of ethnic minority/Bengali miscreants carried out an attack on the law enforcers and the staff of Rangpur Sugar Mills while the mill authorities were harvesting sugarcane from Shahebganj Farm in Gobindaganj upazila. In this regard, SP of Special Branch of the district informed that police opened fire to disperse the ethnic minority and Bengali miscreants and to save the law enforcers and their arms.’

After reading the report, the court said, ‘How did the DC use the word ‘Bengali miscreants? These types of words had been used during the liberation war in 1971 and even after the assassination of father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The DC could write ‘law violators’. We want explanation from the DC.’

Three Santal men were killed and 27 people, including nine policemen, injured following a clash with law enforcers and workers of Rangpur Sugar Mill in Gobindaganj upazila on 6 November.
The clash broke out when workers of Rangpur Sugar Mills along with police went to Bagda Farm area to reclaim land of the sugar mill allegedly occupied by the Santal community.

Following the incident, three human rights organisations filed three separate writ petitions with the HC.

Later on 17 November, the HC ordered the local administration to allow the Santal community to harvest paddy from their land at Bagda Farm.