Keep reserved seats for indigenous people

Speakers at a press conference yesterday called upon the political parties to keep provision of reserved seats for indigenous people in their election manifestos.
Bangladesh Adivasi Odhikar Andolon (BAOA) organised the press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium.
The speakers also demanded incorporation of its 15-point demand to ensure their participation at national and local level election.
While reading out a keynote paper, BAOA General Secretary Mesbah Kamal said a total of 30 lakh people belonging to 45 indigenous communities are living in hills and plain land in the country.
“These people participated in the language movement in 1952 and in the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971 including anti-British and anti-Jamindari movement in different times but they got no recognition for their contribution even after 37 years of independence,'' he added.
The speakers also mentioned different aggressive incidents that included grabbing of 17 houses of indigenous people at Potnitola upazila of Naogaon district and setting fire to 180 houses of Jummo community in Rangamati.
Besides, deforestation is going on in the name of development projects uprooting indigenous people from their land, they added.
The speakers also demanded constitutional recognition of the indigenous people, their rights to education in mother tongue, implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord and implementation of the land commission.
BAOA President HKS Arefin of the anthropology department of Dhaka University, President of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad Anil Marondi and its Secretary Rabindra Nath Saran, Rakhi Mrong, Kerina Hasda, Chanchana Chakma and Parichingtham were present at the press conference.