Bangladesh: Christians killed in clashes

According to UCA News reporting on 11 November 2016, about 2,500 Santal squatters, mostly Christians, were violently forced off disputed land in the Sahebganj area by workers from the Rangpur Sugar Mill with support from local police on 6-7 November 2016. In the clashes three Christian squatters were killed, 30 are reported missing and dozens were wounded. The attackers also looted the homes and livestock of tribal people and set fire to about 600 squatter homes. On 10 November, hundreds of Christians, Hindus and Buddhists formed a human chain and held a protest in Dhaka to advocate for the Santal cause. On a more positive note, Asian News reported on 28 October 2016 that for the first time ever a Catholic Christian has been elected to fill one of the highest offices of the country"s largest opposition party (Bangladesh Nationalist Party - BNP). Albert Costa is to take over the presidency of the party"s youth wing and had previously been President of the Metropolitan Christian Co-operative Housing Society. Thomas Muller, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, points out that land belonging to the Santal ancestral homeland was originally bought by the government in 1952 for sugarcane farming. "There has been disagreement over the sale agreement for years which led to 1,600 Santal families occupying 40 of the 745 hectares sold. It was only a matter of time before the farm authorities would use force to evict them. Christians and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh are second-class citizens and lack any real lobby support. It is therefore all the more encouraging to see that a Christian was chosen to join the BNP leadership."