Harijan leaders call for ensuring rights

Leaders of the Harijan community have called for ensuring their constitutional rights, dignity, opportunities and equal access to every sector of the society like other citizens.

They made the call at the district conference of Rangpur unit of Harijan Adhikar Aday Sangathan (HAAS) held at Town Hall auditorium in the city abiding by the health directives on Saturday afternoon.

They also brought out a rally on the city street and forwarded a 10-point demand at the post-rally conference presided over by President of HAAS Suresh Basfor in the chair.

Mayor of Rangpur Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa attended the occasion as the chief guest.

Women leaders Era Haq and Moushumi Sarker Rita, Harijan leaders Amerilal Basfor, Liton Basfor, Sarat Basfor, Khumri Lal, among others, addressed the conference.

The Harijan leaders demanded for ensuring their rights to sit in eateries, access to hospitals for healthcare and inclusive education and admission facility in mainstream educational institutions, They also urged for stopping disrespectful behavior towards them in hats, bazaars and shops.

Besides, they demanded for ensuring equal job opportunities, proper implementation of their service quota fixed by the government and stopping disparity towards them, for their profession, caste or creed.

Suresh Basfor demanded for re-fixing their salaries, launching festival bonus, pension facilities, posthumous financial assistance and maternity leave for pregnant women and providing them with necessary tools for conducting cleaning activities safely.

He thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for keeping admission quota, 80 per cent service quota in sweeper and cleaner posts and service quota for educated Harijan and Dalit people and their access to social safety-net programmes.

However, he regretted that the government’s decision is not being implemented properly while appointing employees to the posts reserved for the Harijan and Dalit people as per the fixed 80 percent government quotas.