Accompanied by two human rights leaders Mr. Pankaj Bhattacharya and Mr. Ziauddin Tareq Ali, a freedom fighter I visited a village named Malanga under Kanaipur union in Sadar Upazila about 15 km from Faridpur town on Faridour-Khulna highway. An Adibashi ethnic group generally known as Sardar or Sarkar largely populates the village. On 7^th May last, Wednesday at about 3 O? Clock afternoon more than 200 hundred miscreants or should I call them dacoits armed with indigenous lethal weapons like axes, big sickles or scythes, big choppers, lathis etc including firearms attacked the village ransacking houses of more than 25 families followed by looting beating many villagers. But before I proceed what really happened in detail let me introduce who are these wretched people.

Who are these Adibashis ?

The term adibashi is a Bengali word. Its close English equivalent should be ?native? i.e. indigenous inhabitants as English rulers used to refer us, the occupied Indians. In Australia the term is aboriginal meaning an original inhabitant referring to the people British invaders found in the island-continent. Whether we use native, aboriginal or adibashi each one is associated with some kind of despise, hatred, backwardness and a sense of superiority. In Bangladesh context the term adibashi bears a new concept- a new connotation. Another parallel term used to designate an ethnic group is ?upajati?, a term used to refer English word tribe. In Bangladesh the term usually refer to indicate ethnic population groups of Mongolian origin like Chakmas, Marmas ... and similar population groups living in Hill Chittagong, Khasias and Monipuris in Sylhet, and Garos in Mymensing. But strangely enough, not to my understanding other ethnic population groups believed to be originating from so called Australoid racial groups and so-called Dravidian stock such as Santals, Oraons etc are referred to as Adibashis. In Bengali language Adi means original i.e. at the root Bashi means inhabitant one who inhabitate. So adibashi should mean an original inhabitant. But neither the Santals nor the Oraons are original inhabitant in that sense. The term adibashi in modern Bangladesh is misnomeringly used to mean a small population cut off from the main stream of the Bengali population but not belonging to Mongolian ethnic groups. This is a strange use of the word.

We arrived at the village at about 6 pm. I found the population is not at all distinctly different from normal Bengali population. They profess Sanatan dharama i.e. Hinduism and perform all main religious celebrations, and worship important Hindu deities like Durga, Kali, Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, Manosa, goddess of snakes etc. There might be difference in finer details and difference in culture with other common Hindus. Only thing is that although they live very adjacent to town of Faridpur they live in a compact form concentrated in Kanaipur union. This gives some reminiscence of once they had strong tribal organization characteristics of which might be evident even today in the eye of a cultural anthropologist. When I asked their elderly people if they bear any tradition or past reminiscence that they came here from outside. Unanimously they said that they had no such tradition. From time immemorial they are living in this area and gradually as the population increased they spread over adjacent villages slowly. On being asked what do they call themselves as many Hindus call themselves Brahmins, Kayasthas, Namasudras, Sahas, a smart young educated man said we don?t believe in casteism, but an elderly man said that they call themselves Sradar or Sarkar one is equivalent to other. Their surnames (last names) are also Sardar or Sarkar. But now a days some are using Biswas surnames too. As I converse with them and with their graceful women folk, young and middle aged, I found the people very simple but intelligent and laborious. The women are attractive, charming with good physique, figure and deep black eyes, though complexion is little darker and nose a bit broader than a common Bengali girl. Men are well built medium statured, complexion dark with a bit broad nose but sharp eyes. When I asked them as they follow Hinduism why do they call themselves adibashis, Ranjan Sarkar, a SSC passed young man of 20 years replied that they did not know they were adibashis. A few years back during the tenure of Awami League government the then Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina visited the place. ?Seeing our poverty and miserable condition, and some distinctiveness characteristics of our population, our compactness and cultural as a separate identity she declared us as adibashis?, said Ranjan. Bangladesh government then admitted all facilities due to an adibashi population to this wonderful population. ?Since then we became adibashis?, said Ranjan. It is an information to me. ?What the others say about you, what epitaph they apply to identify you as a group?, I asked an elderly man. The elderly man said that traditionally we are termed as ?Buno? with hatred indignation. I could understand the term is derived from Banya, meaning forest dwellers. But there is no trace of forest dense or thin where they live now. They villages they live in now are as good as other villages in Faridpur or elsewhere in Bangladesh. They are as civilized as any Bengali population living in a village. They very rightly therefore despise the term Buno when applied to them and protest vehemently. Their main profession is physical labour. The men-folk work as coolies in nearby Kanaipur bazaar, carry loads from one place to another, load and unload vehicles and trucks. Although they live in villages they don?t have lands of their own or do any agriculture. This is a distinct feature that separates a sardar-adibashi from a common Bengali villager. Their womenfolk usually do not work outside, except that they went out collecting dried leaves and wooden sticks from trees to be used as fuels. Otherwise they are typical housewives most of the time engaged in various domestic works.

The Faridpur-Khulna-Highway runs through the Malanga village. The adibashis are distributed over two areas ? on the left hand side of the road most of the families are concentrated, known as Purana Para (old locality). Here reside 86 families. On the other side of the road lies the Natun Para (New locality) where live about 50 families or so. The population is distributed throughout the Kanaiapur union numbering more than 500 families. If we attribute 5 members per family they become mere 2500 souls. According to them in the last election they had voters numbering 1600.

What happened to them ?

The incident started centering a trifling incident that took place in the morning of 7^th May, 2003. According a middle aged lady Karunarani (Kumudarani ?) for the last two to three months a group spoilt young men of village Gangabardi in neighboring Krishnapur (Kestapur ?) have been teasing a girl named Lipi, a school going girl of the adibashi-village, with obscene utterances and ugly postures. When the matter became known a few boys of the adibashi village approached those Romeos with a request not to bother the girl. This created a mutual malice between the two young groups of the two villages. But teasing of the girl continued, it seemed. At one stage a group of good boys led by a good adibashi boy Bhagya took the initiative to settle the matter amicably, and warned the boys of the other village not harass the girl any more. This move perhaps instead of calming down the Romeos enraged them. In pursuance of this move, those spoilt Romeos on the morning of 7^th May assemble in front of the temple of worship of adibashi village on the other side of the road started abusing the adibashis with filthy languages, ugly gestures and indecent utterances such as ?Eai tora to Buno, toder abar pujo kire, toder meyeder abar ijjat kisher ... ? meaning ?Aren?t you Bunos (wild and uncivilized) ? What for do you worship ? Do your womenfolk have any value of chastity or morality?? This created a tense situation and shuffling took place between the rival young men. As a result one Afjal of Gangabardi village was wounded, and a young man named Zia of Gangabardi village beat a boy name Bhagya of adibashi village. However the matter was amicably settled and boys of Gangabardi returned. But later event proved that matter was not over.

We talked to adibashi local leader Gaur Biswas, Ratan Sarkar, Haran Sarkar, Ranjan, Karunarani, Mina, Mitasree and many other affected persons and elderly people. According to their description as reflected in the vivid description of Karunarani at about 3 pm on 7^th May more than 200 hundred miscreants armed with long axes, big choppers, sickles, lathis, and firearms came to the village by two trucks and two tempos. Immediately after arrival they started ransacking houses in the Puratan para. They asked for those boys with whom the Gangabardi boys had skirmish in the morning. Not finding them the attackers began demolishing houses at random. Most of the men-folk were at work at Kanaipur bazaar. As the assault started on one portion of the village, most of the women fled away to take shelter at the nearby residence of the UP chairman. Most of the families are very poor; although there were some tin roofed houses, most of the houses were made of low cost indigenous materials. Walls are mostly made of jute-sticks, although some were of tin. Being at the entrance the house of Ratan Sarkar became the first target of the hooligans. The Jagabandhu temple situated at his premise was demolished, tin roof pulled down, portraits of different gods were thrown away and broken. Then they entered his main room- ransacking it completely. Ceiling fan damaged, furniture broken, icons of god and goddesses destroyed and valuables looted. Another group of goondas ransacked a nearby stationary cum grocers shop looting its valuables damaging most of things in the shop. A reign of terror was set in, a total chaos and pandemonium prevailed for not less than two hours. In the process 26 houses were severely damaged. Tin roofs were pulled down, walls damaged with axes. After pulling down one or two tin houses were set fire. Most of the low cost houses having jute stick-walls were damaged either by kicking or charging with lathis. These damages were not taken into account as they were treated as minor damage. But who will make the authority understand that to the poor like a adibashi the value of jute stick wall as valuable 10 feet concrete wall of a house of Crore-Pati (millionaire). Among the 26 families who were mostly suffered include the families of Ratan, Narayan, Haran, Ahibhusan, Asok, Arati, Trinath, etc. According to conservative estimate the families suffered a loss of not less than 2 lakhs taka- those include TV set, electric fans, Radios, VCDs, VCPs, and cash money. In every action signs of revenge are evident

The dacoits even did not spare womenfolk- some were beaten, on some attempts were made to violate their chastity. In the process not less 10 housewives including Nilima, Mina, Mitasree, Kalpana, Suchitra, were sexually assaulted. Among them Nilima (20) was carrying for 8-9 months. She was made naked and severely beaten here and there so that damaged could be caused to her child inside. Mina (25) is another unfortunate girl; after being robbed off her dress attempts were made to violate her sexually. As police took no serious note of the event, Mina very courageously filed case under penal code act dealing with repression on women and children at the first class magistrate court at Faridpur on 13^th May after six days. The police was very reluctant to take legal action against the miscreants- no case was filed, nor any one involved in the assault was arrested. On the other hand, the affected families complained, the police advised them to come to terms with assaulters. But police very well knew who led this terrorist attack on the poor adibashis. They are Billal, Dulal, Zia, Selim, Ela, Sohrab, Shaheen etc. Seeing the police inaction, in spite of a powerful minister?s advice, who visited the place of occurrence after few days, to the police to bring the culprits to justice, the adibashi leader Gaur Biswas filed a case against the hooliganism, assault and attack on a timid population to the first class magistrate court at Faridpur. Immediately he got the response from the attackers- a few days after, he was attacked while he was returning to the village from Kanaipur bazaar. They threatened him to withdraw the case forthwith. This is how our law enforcing agencies and our protectors in uniform protecting us.

Immediately after the incident top police administration, local top leaders, political and social, journalists and a top minister of Faridpur visited the affected locality. The minister assured the affected people that culprits would be rounded up and put to justice; he further promised for adequate compensation to the affected families. But population had little confidence on the minister?s other leaders? empty assurances. But minister has kept his word, at least partially. No, no ? not a single culprit has been brought to trial. This is no fault of the minister. If police do not arrest ? then how a minister could bring any one to trial. However on behalf of the minister, the TNO (Executive officer of police station) distributed Tk 500 per family to 14 families and 25 bands tin as adequate compensation (!). Long live our minister.... and hundred cheers to the benevolent government of Begum Khaleda. If your government is poor admit your inability to come to their side. But you have no right to insult the people who were already insulted and dishonored by the dacoits from whom your police administration has failed to protect.