Ensuring social justice and development of living and livelihood conditions of ethnically minority communities in the country’s northwest region has become indispensable for their peaceful existence.
The ethnic people were always deprived of land rights, food, healthcare, education and cultural facilities, so it is important that the government should ensure their fundamental rights besides full-filling other requisite demands.
Development activists and academics made these observations while addressing a post-rally discussion marking the 161st Santal Hul Revolution Day at Rajabari Degree College playground under Godagari Upazila yesterday. More than 500 ethnic minority people joined the programme. Center for Capacity Building of Voluntary Organisation organized the programme in association with Bread for the World Germany and ‘The Aboriginals Village-based Sustainable Food Security Programme’. With principal of the college Prof Rezaul Karim in the chair, CCBVO Executive Chief Sarwar-e-Kamal, Administrative Director Everist Hembrom, Documentation Officer Abu Ahsan, Project Coordinator Nirabul Islam and Training Coordinator Md Arif and BLAST Unit Coordinator Advocate Abdus Samad spoke on the occasion.
Calling for freeing the ethnic communities from the vicious cycle of poverty coupled with making them fit for all the nation- building activities the speakers demanded separate land commission for the plain land ethnic communities to establish their rights on land.
Stressing the need for protecting the rights of the ethnic minority people, they said importance should be given on protecting the underprivileged people from all sort of deceptions. The speakers underscored the need for establishing social justice towards the plain land ethnic communities through removing all sorts of disparity. They said the aboriginal people are hard working and have been playing a vital role in increasing farm production. They stressed on removing the disparity between the aboriginal people of hill tracts and plain lands. In observance of the day, the CCBVO and its other front organizations jointly brought out a colourful rally which paraded the nearby roads.
