Land minister ends hunger strike of landless protesters

Landless people who staged an indefinite hunger strike with three demands in front of the residence of Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu ended their protest after assurances from the authorities.

The protesters had gathered early in front of the minister’s house in the Padma residential area of Rajshahi city on Friday morning. Later, the minister intervened and broke their fast by offering water, assuring that they would be allotted khas land (government-owned land) through the district administration.

Earlier, speaking to journalists at his residence, the minister called the attempt to evict long-term residents on a four-hour notice “unjust and conspiratorial” at 11am on Friday (April 24).

He said, "At least 6-7 days should be given for eviction. As a human being, I consider it very unfair to suddenly demolish houses without doing so. Such a situation has arisen due to the failure of some officials in charge in the past. It is a moral responsibility to stand by the helpless and destitute people as per the election promise."

At that time, severely criticizing the local land grabbers during the previous government, he said, "During the previous fascist government, land grabbers like Liton, Shahu and Sacchu tried to seize this property of the people. There is no opportunity to seize the property entrusted to them by claiming ownership 70 years ago."

He urged stronger legal action against harassment and false cases filed by land grabbers and suggested forming a legal panel with local lawyers. He also announced possible personal financial assistance.

Regarding Khas land, the Land Minister said that the government is serious about distributing Khas land under the Land Ministry among the genuine landless. If necessary, initiatives will be taken to provide one to two kathas of land to each family.

Meanwhile, amid rising tensions, the minister urged law enforcement agencies to avoid direct intervention and instead resolve the issue through local dialogue.

Earlier in the morning, the affected landless families began their sit-in and indefinite hunger strike in front of the minister’s residence, demanding justice. The minister later personally intervened and ended their strike by giving them water and assuring a resolution to their demands.