Evicted from the Sikder farmhouse
Sumitra Rani Dey, the weak and ailing 65-year-old, was evicted from her homestead. Along with the three orphaned daughters of her brother, she has been living in an abandoned kitchen for four years.
Sumitra’s family alleged that the Sikder family evicted them to set up a farmhouse or retreat in their place. The farmhouse, owned by businessman late Zainul Haque Sikder’s sons Ron Haque Sikder and Rick Haque Sikder, is located in Dingamanik village of Naria upazila in Shariatpur.
Locals said Zainul Haque Sikder is from Madhupur village of Bhedarganj upazila under Shariatpur. He established ZH Sikder Science and Technology University and Monowara Sikder Medical College in the locality. The Sikder family started to build the sprawling retreat within half a kilometer at Dingamanik area of Naria and Kartikpur village of Bhedarganj on 30-acre land from 2009.
Locals said the Sikder family started to enclose the area by erecting a boundary wall after buying land from the locals. They dug two ponds, built a large four-storey building between the ponds with a helipad on the rooftop, had a deer farm, a bridge and planted trees on the land. A total of 41 decimal of lands inherited as ancestral property by Sumitra was within the 30 acre boundary of the retreat.
During a visit to the farmhouse, it was seen that a portion of the house has been encircled by the wall. A broken down house of Sumitra can still be seen there.
Sikder family’s eldest daughter Parveen Haque Sikder is a lawmaker from reserved seat for women. While asked about the matter, Parveen told Prothom Alo, “I don’t want to talk about these now. These all are false and baseless.”
When told that Sumitra Rani has all the valid papers of the land, Parveen hung up the call saying she was busy.
Assistant land officer of Gharisha union Farhad Mollah, after evaluating the papers, told Prothom Alo that the land of Sumitra is recorded under names of her brothers Ratan Kumar Dey and Jagdish Chandra Dey. They are the owners of the land as per the documents and they have paid the land tax till 2019.
Members of the victim family said Sumitra’s father owned a 41 decimals of land on the SA (settlement attestation) khatiyan (record of rights) no. 859 in Dingamanki mouza (village) no. 79. After his death, that piece of land was recorded in the name of Ratan Kumar Dey and Jagdish Chandra Dey on the khatiyan no. 765 during the BRS (revisional) survey.
The family used to live in a two-room house with a corrugated iron sheet roof. Ratan Kumar Dey died in 2009 and his wife Jharna Rani Dey in 2013. They left behind three child daughters. After that, Sumitra and her brother Jagdish Dey took the responsibility of those orphaned children. Jagdish Dey died in 2020. Since there was no earner in the family and they were evicted from their homestead, Sumitra along with those three girls fell into hardship. They then took shelter in an abandoned kitchen of a nearby house in Dingamanki village.
Visiting the Dingamanki village on Saturday, this correspondent found Sumitra and the girls living in the kitchen of a certain Qadir Sheikh’s house beside Golar Bazar-Kartikpur road. They sleep on a bed in this small room. There is no male member in the family.
Sumitra Rani Dey said she fell into the hardship after her brother died leaving behind three child daughters. The Sikder family then started building the farmhouse and tried forcing them to leave their homestead in various ways. But she did not agree. The Sikder grabbed their land and built a structure on their family crematory. And, a boundary wall was erected surrounding their house.
When asked farmhouse manager engineer Sanwar Hossain claimed to Prothom Alo that Sumitra Rani Day could not show any legal documents of that house. So, their matter could not be resolved. They had not been evicted from their house either. They left the house willingly. Two rooms are left abandoned inside their house, he added.
Speaking to Prothom Alo Sumitra Rani’s niece Rupa Rani Dey, 21, said, “We sisters and our aunt are in much dfficulty. We are insecure and without foods. We want to get our ancestral land back.”
Rupa Rani said local lawmaker and deputy minister AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem visited them recently. He helped then with financial assistance and assured them of getting back their homestead.
Sumitra Rani said, “Now, we just want one thing. These orphaned girls get back their ancestral land and return to their ancestral house. We also want the assurance of living a safe life. Our sincere request to the prime minister is that return our ancestral land from the Sikder family.”