Statesman News Service
MALDA, 15 APRIL: Two tribal women – Mrs Sajli Kisku and Mrs Talamoyee Soren, residents of Old Malda, had written to the Malda SP on 12 April seeking police protection due to alleged threats from local touts.
They had written to the Malda police station on 10 April and when local police did take any action they decided to write to the Malda SP.
Malda SP Mr Bhuban Mandal said: “At present I can not recall any such application. If it comes to my table I will surely take action”. It may be mentioned here that two tribal women had filed a case in Malda court in first week of February against a private agency who allegedly bought their1.55 acres of land fraudulently.
The Malda court has set the date of next hearing as 17 April as the representative of the private agency was absent at the hearing on 7 April.
The court issued an injunction order on the plot of land and summoned the private agency. But the private agency did not appear before the court.
A private agency had been appointed by family members of the late Ghani Khan Choudhury for procurement of land for setting up of the Institute of Engineering and Technology with the help of Union human resources development.
The private agency procured nearly 100 acres of land and gave it to the Trustee board of Ghani Khan Choudhury Institute of Engineering and Technology.
The district land and reforms department had detected that the agency had bought land from more than twenty persons out of which 10 tribal families and 64 tribal sharecroppers might have been deprived of their proper compensations.
The agency had not taken permission from the administration before procuring lands from tribals. Mrs Kisku and Mrs Soren were amongst the victims.
The land and land reforms department had to record the lands in the name of two tribal women on 30 March.
The district magistrate Mr Sridhar Ghosh said: “I have received a complaint regarding land dispute from a political party and have forwarded it to the ADM (Land Reforms) to look into the matter”.
“I am keeping a vigil on the matter. The Union HRD department has not asked for any clarification from me. Earlier I informed the HRD about system of procurement of tribal land”, said Mr Ghosh.
The CPI-ML (Liberation) had lodged a complaint with the DM on 9 April demanding protection of tribal lands which were allegedly procured by a private agency without the permission of the state government.
“We can not do anything to protect the rights of tribal people. The tribal welfare department is a competent authority to protect the tribals’ rights. I will discuss the matter with the district magistrate”, said Mr K N Dew, ADM (LR).
The chief communication manager of the private agency (Sun Plant Agro Finance Ltd) in Kolkata, Mrs Paramita Mishra, admitted about procurement of land in Old Malda for setting up central government institution but she denied any fraudulent practice in buying the lands. “Your information is wrong” she said.
The lawyer of the two tribal women Mr Amitava Maitra said: “We will appeal to the court seeking police protection for them and take up new steps for protection tribals’ land there after the judgment of the court on 17 April”. (END)
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