‘Protect rights of ethnic minorities, Dalits’

People belonging to ethnic minority groups and Dalit community formed a human chain and held rally in front of Thakurgaon Press Club yesterday demanding effective steps to protect their rights.

Eco Social Development Organisation organised the programme in cooperation with Heks Eper under the banner Promotion of Rights of Ethnic Minority and Dalits for Improvement Programme.  

The ethnic minorities face discrimination in different areas as the authorities are indifferent to their causes, speakers said at the rally. 

They demanded formation of a separate land commission for protecting the lands of ethnic minority people living in plain lands and establishment of a separate ministry for dealing with their problems.

The Awami League in its election manifestos in 2008 and 2014 pledged formation of a separate land commission to protect dwellings, lands and water bodies of ethnic minority peoples living in plain lands and steps for preservation of their traditional rights on specific forest areas, speakers said.

But the commission is yet to be formed, they said.    

Advocate Imran Hossain Chowdhury, adviser of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad, Advocate Zahid Iqbal, district unit general secretary of Human Rights Commission, Raju Bashfor, general secretary of district unit of Harijan Samity, and Chaina Ram Tirki, president of Adibasi and Dalit Unnayan Forum, and Monsur Ali, president of Thakurgaon Press Club, addressed the programme, among others.