The International Day for Indigenous People was celebrated in the district on Saturday with a call to raise awareness and protect their rights on social and cultural diversities.
This year’s theme of the day is “Participate in Preserving the Existence of the Tribal and Establishing Fundamental Rights.”
Marking the day, Adibashi-Bangali SanghatiParishad, Sahebganj Bagdafarm Bhumi Uddhar Sangram Committee, Citizen Platform-Jana Uddyog and Samazik Sangram Parishad jointly arranged the function, reports BSS.
In the morning around 11 am, a post-rally discussion meeting was also held on the premises of Gaibandha Nattyo and Cultural organization with Dr Philimon Baske, President of Sahebganj Bagdafarm Bhumi Uddhar Sangram Committee in the chair.
General Secretary of district BNP MahadunnabiTitu, President of PoribeshAndolon, district unit, Waziur Rahman Raphel, convener of Adibashi-Bangali Sanghati Parishad, Adv. Sirajul Islam, member secretary of Jana Uddyog Probir Chakrabartee, member secretary of Samazik Sangram Parishad Zahangir KabirTanu, Indigenous leaders Pricila Murmu, Suchitra Murmu, human rights workers Golam Rabbani Musa, Anjali Rani Devi and lawyers Mohammad Ali Pramanik and Faruk Kabir.
The speakers in their speeches said the indigenous people of the plains are on the verge of extinction.
"Not only that their culture, language is also disappearing". They are the poorest community in Bangladesh, they added.
Most of them are landless, they have no land. The Indigenous including Santal are continuously being evicted in the name of development projects, they further added.
Even after 50 years of independence, the Santals who sacrificed themselves in the liberation war are deprived of their rights and human rights, they cited.
They also demanded that the government form a Land Commission for the indigenous people like the people of the mainland.
A large number of indigenous people and their leaders, devotees, social workers and media men were present on the occasion.
