Gaibandha: Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Kazi Reazul Hoque on Monday said the Home Minister should be ashamed of seeing the Santals protecting themselves with bows and arrows.

“The Santal people who had fought with bows and arrows during the Liberation War to liberate the country are now protecting themselves with the same. The Home Minister should be of ashamed of…,” he said.

The NHRC chief was addressing a rally on the Madarpur Church premises after visiting the Santals at Joypur and Madarpur villages in Gobindaganj upazila.

Reazul also said he would talk to the government’s up-ups to ensure that no Santal is tortured and arrested by police wrongfully, and that their houses are not torched any longer.

Narrating their experience during the visit to the Santal Palli, he said the Santal people could not go out of their homes even to go to haats and bazaars.

The NHRC chief also demanded that the local administration and law enforcement agencies provide security to them.

At that time, the Santal people staged demonstrations holding bows and arrows in their hands demanding trial of police responsible for carrying attacks on them.

Earlier in the day, a five-member delegation, led by NHRC Chairman Kazi Reazul Hoque, went to the Santal Palli. 

Three Santal men were killed and 27 people, including nine policemen, injured following a clash with law enforcers and workers of Rangpur Sugar Mills in Gobindaganj upazila on November 6 last.

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.