National minority communities from plains on Friday held a ‘cultural showdown’ programme from Shahbagh to Central Shaheed Minar in the capital to press home their 11-point demand.
They demanded a representative from them in the interim government formed after a student-led mass uprising that forced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India.
Their demands also included recognition of national minority people as ‘indigenous’ in the constitution, formation of a separate ministry and a land commission for plain land national minorities, assurance of traditional land rights, reservation of seats for them in local government, allocation of sufficient funds in the national budget, establishment of cultural institutions, an end to land acquisition and eviction under the pretext of development; creation of employment opportunities, assurance of primary education in the mother tongue of national minority people and enacting an Act for their protection amending the Forest Act 1927.
Several hundreds of national minority people under the platform ‘Samataler Adivasi Chattra-Juba O Sadharan Janagan’ gathered in front of the Bangladesh National Museum in the afternoon and held a procession towards Shaheed Minar chanting slogans and playing local musical instruments.
Presiding over a rally at Shaheed Minar, Bangladesh Adivasi Chhatra Sangram Parishad president Alik Mree said that national minority communities from the plains were victims of discrimination and deprived of their basic rights.
Demanding recognition of the national minority people as ‘indigenous’ in the constitution, he also called for a representative in the newly formed interim government.
Adivasi Forum central leader Ripon Chandra Banai said, ‘We do not want any discrimination in the newly formed Bangladesh.’
There is a representative of the national minority communities from hill tracts but there is no representative of the national minority people from plain lands in the government, mentioned Ripon, demanding a representative from the plain.
Pahari Chhatra Parishad Dhaka city unit president Jagadish Chakma said that land acquisition and eviction of national minority people under the pretext of development was one of the biggest crises for them.
An inclusive and discrimination-free Bangladesh cannot be built depriving and repressing the national minority people, said Jagadish.
Leaders of Bangladesh Garo Chattra Odhikar Porishad, Garo Student Union and Bangladesh Adivasi Juba Forum, among others, were present and spoke at the rally expressing solidarity with the 11-point demand.
Following the rally, ethnic minority communities stage cultural performances at the programme.
The platform also announced a rally on August 23 to press home their 11-point demand. Â Â Â
