Indigenous people of Sirajganj, Natore and Pabna districts are deprived of their basic rights.
According to sources, Illiteracy, absence of healthcare facilities, grabbing of land and other properties by exploiters, unemployment and insecurity, and loss of traditional and cultural heritages are some of the drawbacks of the downtrodden people.
As a result, they are lagging far behind the mainstream development of the country and their substandard livelihood cannot assure them of brighter prospect.
With the passage of time, the feeling of deprivation is reportedly getting more and more prominent among members of the community, said the sources.
Leaders representing the community have demanded separate budgetary allocations from the government in major areas to ensure faster socio-economic transformation leading to sustainable development.
Detailing the socio-economic condition of ethnic people, relevant sources said the people of the community have been trapped in the vicious cycle of deprivation from generation after generation.
Since the independence, hardly any pragmatic steps have been taken to improve their condition. Thus frustration has gripped them with its manifold facades.
Elaborating the overall position, leaders representing the community narrated how the deprivation of opportunities in education, employment, economic and healthcare facilities including cultural arena has jeopardised their existence.
In Sirajganj and some other areas of northern zone, ethnic people are the worst sufferers. There has been hardly any tangible development plan matched with appropriate criteria for changing the fate of this downtrodden people.
Analysing the historical perspective, they indicated more than 27 lakh ethnic people live in 16 northern districts. Of them, around 5,000 live in Taras and Raiganj upazilas.
Jogendra Proshad, general secretary of Urou Foundation, said the ethnic people began entering this part of Bengal during the Mughal era.
Two leaders Sidhu and Kalu, representing 40,000 ethnic people, had been hanged publicly by the British regime in 1831. The tragic fate of the leaders was the result of squabble between opposing forces centering land properties, they maintained.
Many undesirable incidents caused a large-scale migration of ethnic people from Nagpur of Bihar to the then East Bengal.
During the long bygone days, the landlords of Tarash-Raiganj area allowed lease of cultivable lands surrounded by forest on yearly basis to ethnic families for harvesting crops. By dint of hard labour of male and female members, many ethnic families lead their lives, said Jogendra Proshad.
Putting up the demographic position, the source said, the density of Indigenous people is the highest in Tarash-Raiganj where 45 per cent inhabitants belong to this community spreading in about 103 villages comprising around 7,000 families. About 80 per cent people live in khash land, out of which 30 to 40 per cent are temporary inhabitants.
The number of master degree holders is not more than 50 to 60 among Indigenous people in Tarash-Raiganj. The community has been struggling to rise to the occasion by breaking the vicious cycle of poverty mostly emerged from social exploitation.
Most of the families live in small cottages made of tree-leaves, straw or polythene.
Despite being physically incapacitated, many male and female members work in agricultural fields to maintain their livelihood.
The hostility and enmity emerged out of land dispute led to filing of more than 2,000 cases. Land dispute had always been the major cause of death, locals said.
Speaking about the social structure, the experts informed that Indigenous is divided into Urao, Mahato, Santal, Bosak, Murari, Turi, Sing, Rabidas, Roy, Mahali and 14 other classes.
The frustration due to the poverty in different strata of the society and deprivation including social exploitation compelled people to change their religious beliefs, said a section of leaders to this correspondent.
President of Sirajganj Ethnic Forum Nirmal Mahato, identifying the severe socio-economic hardship, marked by illiteracy and deep-rooted poverty, demanded necessary steps to change the condition.
Organising Secretary of District Ethnic Forum Paresh Mahato viewed that the role of NGOs could hardly bring multilateral development in culture, language, human rights and many other areas.
Parbati Urao, Silpi Rani, Nirmola Rani Urao and many others inhabitants of Gultabazar under Tarash upazila narrated different phases of their day to day life.
Sandha Rani, 60, says she has been passing her days with her three sons and two daughters amid utter frustration.
Many ethnic people alleged that many NGOs, locals and international, exploited them in the name of help.
The ethnic leaders did not raised their voice against the exploitation, they added.
Jogendra Proshad raised the question of inequality in employment opportunity. There should be a separate allocation for the ethnic people of northern regions, he demanded.
Deputy Commissioner Md Billal Hossain said adequate steps were also underway to ensure faster socio-economic transformation of ethnic people.