Inhuman living conditions of ethnic minority communities

Pabna Correspondent :

Even in this age of modern civilization, entering various ethnic minority settlements in Ishwardi feels like stepping back into a primitive era. These communities are deprived of basic civic facilities such as healthcare, education, and sanitation, leaving their living standards extremely poor.

In many areas, people still have to use open fields and jungles for sanitation. Due to the absence of educational institutions nearby, children must walk nearly two kilometers to schools in neighboring villages, resulting in a high dropout rate.

Although they once owned land, most ethnic minority families have now become landless due to land grabbers and the collusion of dishonest land officials. Even after returning from India following independence, they failed to recover their occupied lands. At present, nearly 80 percent of these families are landless and living in inhuman conditions.

Approximately 5,000 people from various ethnic minority groups live in remote areas of Ishwardi. Notable among them are the Malpahari, Bagdi, Munda, Bhuimali, Rajbanshi, Buno, Rabidas, and Rishidas communities. About 750 Malpahari people reside in villages such as Marmi, Lakshmikola, and Muladuli. Hunting in forests and wildlife was once their main occupation, but due to deforestation, most are now engaged in agricultural work.

Around 475 members of the Bagdi community living in several villages of Muladuli and Dashuria unions survive in extreme poverty. About 80 percent of the families lack proper sanitation facilities. Members of the Munda, Bhuimali, and Buno communities also depend on agricultural labor, fishing, and bamboo and wood-related work for their livelihoods.

Paul Biswas, a resident of the Marmi settlement, said that nearly 200 years ago, their ancestors were brought from different provinces of India to cultivate indigo and to protect local people from attacks by wild animals. At that time, dense forests and large trees covered the area, and members of the ethnic communities excavated a large pond by clearing the forest. For a long time, influential local individuals have been cultivating fish in this pond.

Agricultural laborer Sharti Rani Roy said that she remains without work for nearly half the year, and even when work is available, wages are lower compared to others. In Betbariya village of Patirajpur area under Muladuli, around 70 families of the indigenous Bagdi community reside. Community leader Santosh Sardar stated that their ancestral agricultural land and homestead plots, which they have possessed for generations, are being grabbed in various ways.

Earlier, a laborers’ association formed through the coordination of four civil society organizations held several meetings and rallies to realize their rights. However, no effective activities from that initiative have been observed for a long time, and the communities continue to receive no assistance or support.