Members of minority groups in Dinajpur have been hit hard by the global coronavirus pandemic.
People of the small ethnic group living in Dinajpur are not well. The picture of their life has changed drastically as there is no work in this corona situation.
Many of them are suffering from health problems but the victims have complained that they are not receiving proper medical services. When they go to the hospital, they are treated badly.
The doctor does not come to the hospital rather the hospital is run by intern doctors. They also do not provide them with medical services. They cannot afford to go to the doctors' personal chambers, they said.
Fulmati Murarmu is a member of the Indigenous Minority living in Uttar Sheikhpura in Dinajpur city. Visiting her house on Thursday 11am, it was seen that she was just lighting the stove.
Nothing was cooked at Fulmati's house on the previous day, with a lot of difficulty, she put a pot of rice on the stove that day. She cried and said that their way of income was completely blocked due to the pandemic.
They can hardly manage a meal everyday, as no one is providing them any work. She complained that the leaders of the indigenous minorities had big words in their mouths but in reality they could not bring them any help.
Palashi Tikga, another member of the community said there are 8 ethnic families in this village. They have no work to do because of the Corona situation. Their public life has come to a standstill.
The aggrieved ethnic groups have raised the question that they are also the citizens of this country, so why they seem to not have the right to access healthcare, medical care, and education although they have given their lives for the country at different times since the liberation war.
Indigenous leaders Robin Shoren, Bishwanath Singh and Fabian Mandal have claimed that ethnic community members are not receiving medical care and are deprived of education. They said a total of more than 2 lakh ethnic people live under the 13 police stations in Dinajpur. Since the start of the pandemic all of these ethnic communities have had no work, so they require an adequate amount of government grants.
However, Dinajpur Civil Surgeon Dr. Abdus Quddush differingly said, the ethnic people are getting good treatment. They are afflicted with poverty. Their family life has become more difficult due to the long-running Corona epidemic. They are living in fear as there is no work.
History of Dinajpur shows that there are 15 to 16 indigenous groups in the Dinajpur region. Indigenous people had an active role in all democratic movements including the Liberation War.
But the existence of the indigenous people is endangered today. They have been forced to leave their land. Indigenous people are being evicted from their lands. AC (Land), government officials, socialists, many notables influential of the society are involved in all this.
Indigenous people are terrified when they hear about development in the area. Indigenous lands have been occupied in for Nashipur Jute Seed Farm, Cotton Development Board, Palli Bidyut Samiti in Dinajpur. Forty ethnic people have been killed in the area while trying to save land, none of them got justice.
Minority Indigenous Peoples have directly sought the intervention of the Prime Minister in this regard. So that they can arrange education, proper-treatment and work for their children. They also appealed to wealthy and non-governmental organizations to enable their children to take online classes with technical assistance.
