MYMENSINGH, May 27: Thousands of char people brought out a huge procession from Joy Bangla Bazaar in Mymensingh Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon, demanding removal of their farmlands and homesteads from the acquisition list of land to be acquired for development works in Mymensingh division.
"Basatbhita Rakhha Committee" organised the procession that paraded through Char Gobindopur, Char Anandapur, Char Bhawanipur, Char Durgapur and Konapara villages in Char Sirta union.
The char people, who have been protesting the land acquisition move for more than eight months, said that the local administration first prepared a list of 1,220-acre land for infrastructure development but it was later cancelled, and a list of 4366-acre was released without any valid reason.
The latest proposed acquisition area includes vast tracts of farmlands and households where most of people are small and marginal farmers and sharecroppers, they informed.
If the fresh list is implemented, it will be 'gross violation of human rights', said char people.
At a rally prior to the procession, the demonstrators also alleged that an influential quarter was behind making the latest list.
They said the list released by the administration a few months ago is 'unfair' and 'motivated' one to evict hundreds of families from seven villages.
Demanding for a balanced development involving four unions alongside the Old Brahmaputra River, they urged the administration to use Khas and empty land on both sides of the River Brahmaputra for the development.
And the administration should use the land on priority basis, they added.
'We want to be a partner of new town but not to be evicted', they said threatening 'if we are evicted, we will launch tougher movement to spoil administration's evil design'.
Char people sources said, there are some 60,000 people involving 17,000 families and 28,000 households, 475 family graveyards, six public graveyards, 30 government and non-government primary schools, three schools, 47 mosques, four temples, six eidgah grounds and other establishments included in the new list.
