Kora community on the verge of extinction
A report by The Daily Star published on January 6 has revealed the sufferings of the Kora community, a small ethnic group living in Dinajpur's Biral upazila. Although around 200 Kora families used to live in the upazila before Bangladesh's independence, at present only 21 families are there. Reportedly, this small, impoverished community has been living in constant fear of being persecuted by the local powerful people who have already grabbed most of their land. According to British land records of 1943, the Koras used to own 55 acres of land but now the community possesses only 15 acres. The remaining 40 acres of land have already been grabbed by the local influentials. These powerful grabbers have also attacked the people of the community to drive them out of their ancestral land. Being intimidated by them, around 30 Kora families left for India in the last 15 years.
It is unfortunate that these people are being called "outsiders" by the local influentials despite the fact that they have been living in the country since the British period and had played an important role in the country's development – they took part in laying rail tracks during the British rule, and many of them had fought for the country's independence in 1971. Regrettably, after the country's liberation, consecutive governments have failed to ensure their basic constitutional rights, including land rights and basic education for their children. Their unique language and customs are also on the verge of extinction.
The Kora community needs protection from the government so that their ancestral land cannot be encroached upon by the local powerful people. In addition, the government should create job opportunities for them and bring them under the social safety net programmes. Unfortunately, it is not only the Kora community that has been facing persecution; other ethnic communities of the country have also been facing torture and exploitation by the powerful local people. In order to build an inclusive society, the problems these communities have been facing for years need to be addressed urgently. All the ethnic communities should get the rights granted by our constitution.
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