Some unidentified people have cut down nearly 8,000 betel leaf and betel nut plants in Nursery Panpunji in Moulvibazar. These gardens are the main source of income for 65 indigenous families who live there.
The damage was done overnight, and it has left the community not only worried about money but also about their safety. Locals say jhum cultivation of betel leaf is the only way they earn a living, and they feel someone is trying to destroy it.
Jony Pohtam, headman of the punji, said the families have lived in Panpunji since the British period. “We are innocent people. We run our family by cultivating betel leaves,” he said.
Paila Pohtam said his family of five depends fully on this garden. According to him, unidentified people cut down the betel nut plants on the south side of Panpunji on Tuesday night. “Now we are scared,” he said.
Kulaura Police Station Officer in Charge Zahirul Islam Munna said he got news of the incident on Wednesday night. He said police were sent to the spot to look into the matter.
Locals say this is not the first time. Flora Babli Talang, general secretary of the Kubraj Inter Punji Development Organization, said a similar attack happened at Saheb Tila Punji a week ago, where betel leaf plants were cut down. After that came the destruction of more than 8,000 plants in Nursery Punji.
Subimol Lindokiri, a Moulvibazar Judge Court advocate who also lives in the community, asked why indigenous livelihoods keep getting attacked. “Who will give our livelihood security?” he said. He also said he doubts whether those behind the attack will ever be punished.
Paila Pohtam also pointed to the role of these gardens beyond income. He said the trees and shrubs on the hills are home to different plants and animals, and that they help in reducing the effects of climate change. For the community, he said, life here is built around nature.
Kulaura UNO Sanjida Akter said no one had told her about the plants cut down a week ago. She said she was informed about this latest incident and promised that those involved will be brought to justice.
Betel nut has been a steady source of income for many farmers in the country, and The Daily Star has earlier looked at how betel nuts became a lifeline for farmers.
For now, the families of Nursery Panpunji are left with empty gardens and unanswered questions, waiting to see if the promise of justice turns into action.