Members of the Harijan community have been living in subhuman condition in Barisal town without basic civic and human rights and special quota for education and employment.
There are six Harijan Pallis (residential corners) in Barisal city for these people who are socially outcast and considered as ‘untouchables’.
These Harijan Pallis are situated in Nazir Mahalla, Falpotty or Chamar Potty, Katpatty, Marok Khola or Dom Potty, Kawnia Janoki Sen Road and Amir Kutir in the densely populated commercial and residential areas of the town.
About 6,000 members of 1,000 Harijan families reside in those Harijan Pallis locally known as Methor Potty or Dom Patty or Chamar Potty which are without any permanent housing structure, minimum hygienic, sanitation, sewerage, water, electricity supply and education facilities.
About one-third male Harijan members have more mortality rate than the rest two-third females of the community, said Joyanta Kumar Das, secretary of Barisal Harijan Oikkya Parishad.
These colonies belong to City Corporation and the Harijans have no ownership right on the land of their residences.
Harijans are engaged in different types of cleaning and sweeping, skin and hide trading and shoe repairing works in the town for earning their livelihood.
Inhabitants of the three Harijan Pallis at Marok Khola, Kawnia Janoki Sen Road and Amir Kutir domestically rear pigs for food and business while some of them are engaged in illegally manufacturing and selling country liquor.
The rate of literacy among the Harijans was less than 20 percent. Some 20 Harijans including four females out of the 6,000 community members got higher education—two of them having passed post graduation level, six graduation level and 12 SSC and HSC levels, community sources said.
There is only one primary school for the Harijan community at Amir Kutir area in Barisal town while admission of the Harijan children in other schools is often discouraged, they alleged.
The members and leaders of Harijan community said they remained the most neglected and unprivileged section in the society.
They also pointed out that many belonging to this community took part in the country’s war of independence in 1971, but the society always looked down upon the Harijan people as ‘untouchables’.
The Harijans are also protesting appointment of non-Harijan persons as sweepers, demanding that at least eighty percent quota should be reserved for appointment of underprivileged Harijans against the posts of sweepers in different government and non-government offices.
The community leaders informed that only 240 Harijans are employed as sweepers by Barisal City Corporation on a temporary daily-wage basis against some 640 posts.
Many of the Harijans work in hospitals and clinics in the town without any job security, they said.
