Barring Harijans from sitting in restaurants: NHRC orders inquiry
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered an inquiry into a photograph shared on social media which shows two Harijan children and their parents eating food on the streets after purchasing it from a restaurant in Lalmonirhat city.
NHRC Chairman Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed has directed the deputy commissioner to investigate the incident and submit a report to the commission by January.
Abdul Alim, a teacher at Rajshahi University, posted the photo on Facebook with the caption: “I am drawing the attention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Bangladesh.”
Article 27 of the Constitution of Bangladesh states that all citizens are equal in the eyes of the law. Article 28 states that the State shall not discriminate against any citizen merely on account of religion, race, caste, gender or place of birth.
Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ullah told The Daily Star that he has not yet received the NHRC order. Once he gets the order, he will submit the investigation report to the commission.
Sumit Banshfor, 15, son of Kailash Banshfor of Lalmonirhat Storepara Harijan Colony, told The Daily Star that he entered a restaurant on Station Road in the city this morning for breakfast. But he was thrown out of the restaurant. When he protested the incident, the restaurant’s owners and employees tried to beat him up.
Ghuglu Babu, general secretary of Lalmonirhat district unit of Bangladesh Harijan Oikya Parishad, said that the number of people of Harijan community in the district is about 12,000 and they are victims of extreme discrimination.
