‘Santal rebellion day’ observed in Thakurgaon
Indigenous people yesterday observed different programmes marking the 164th anniversary of the anti-British Santal Hool (rebellion), with urge to give them constitutional recognition and ensure their fundamental rights including that on ancestral lands.
Marking the day, a colourful procession was brought out in the town from Thakurgaon Press Club premises and it ended at the same point after parading different streets of the town.
The procession followed a discussion at the auditorium of Thakurgaon Press Club.
On June 30 in 1855, indigenous Santal community led by four Murmu brothers Sindhu, Kanhu, Chand and Bhairab started an uprising against the misrule, extortion and torture by local landlords and police of the then British government, speakers said at the meeting.
Thousands of indigenous people, especially Santals, joined the revolution. The forces loyal to the British government crushed the rebellion, killing the impoverished community people in large numbers during the following months.
Santals and other ethnic minority communities are yet to see their social, economic and political rights established, even 164 years after the uprising, the speakers said.
They demanded meeting nine-point demand including establishing constitutional rights of indigenous people and formation of a separate land commission to protect their land rights.
Urging the government to save the indigenous people from the land grabbers, they said all fake documents made to occupy their land should be declared illegal.
They also demanded allocation of khas land among the landless indigenous people for their survival.
Demanding withdrawal of all false cases against the indigenous people, they said the indigenous community is still lagging behind in the society as they are not getting facilities like others in education and job market.
The speakers also demanded mother tongue-based primary education for their children and the community’s quota in higher education and government services.
Arunangshu Datta Tito, chairman of Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila Parishad, attended as chief guest at the programme with Shamim Hossain of Eco-social Development Organisation (ESDO) in the chair.
District unit of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad and ESDO’s Pradip Project jointly organised the programmes.
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