On the evening of March 23 in Rajshahi, Ravi Marandi (26) and Abhinath Marandi (38) two brothers drank pesticides together in front of a deep tube well. Both of them were farmers. Day after day, the two brothers approached the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) for irrigation water from deep tube wells but could not get water. They told the authorities that if they did not give water, they would die without eating. BMDA officials may not have thought the two would actually commit suicide.
Abhinath died that night (23rd March). Robi died at Rajshahi Medical Hospital on the night of March 25. According to local newspaper Sonali Sangbad, the director of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani, said Robi was in ward 16 of the hospital. He died around 8 pm.
Two brothers cultivated Boro paddy in the field. Even though day after day they searching for water, they were not provided with water. The home of these two Santal farmers is in Nimghatu village of Godagari. At first the police did not want to take up the case. There is still fear, will the criminal be punished or not? When will they be arrested? A correspondent of Rajshahi national daily went to the spot. He wrote in his report, Abhinath’s body was in the backyard. His mother, sister Rupina Marandi and cousin Sumita Tudu all were mourning near the dead body. The reporter couldn’t understand most of the conversations but Sumita Tudu said in Bengali, ‘We don’t get justice anywhere.’
Abhinath with his family lived in a house made of tin. His wife Rozina Hembrom said, they have two children aged 10 and 6. His husband was the only earner.
Rozina Hembrom has filed a case against Sakhawat Hossain, a tube well operator and president of Ward Krishak League, for inciting suicide. According to a local newspaper, the OC of the police station said that an operation was on process to arrest the accused.
It seems that everyone is helpless in the face of corruption and plunder of those in power. Is there no good guy in the team? Is there no better person than the president of the Krishak League ?
Abhinath was cultivating paddy with 25 katha of land. Robi was cultivating his own land. The paddy fields were drying up due to lack of water. What a cruel joke, they were given water in the paddy field after committing suicide.
The Country has so many records of development, so many infrastructures built, per capita income has increased to 2591 during this corona period, but why do people remain miserable?
Source : ProthomAlo
Written by Dipita Chakma
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