Despite a government circular on giving priority to the Harijans for jobs of sweepers and cleaners, members of the community in Thakurgaon are being deprived of employment, especially because of high number of candidates from the main stream.
“We are sweepers by family trade. We clean human excrement with our own hands all the year round, but we do not get jobs.
Rather, those who pose as sweepers are employed in our place,” said Joypati Bampar.
Harijans have been catering to the demand of sweepers in the country for a long time and mainstream people usually used to avoid the job in view of their dignity.
But time has now changed as mainstream people have begun entering the profession for livelihood.
In 2012, the government issued a circular, reserving 80% positions of sweepers and cleaners at all government, non-government and autonomous bodies in the country for Harijans.
However, the Thakurgaon municipality recruited six sweepers and cleaners on July 24, who are not Harijans.
Joypati Bampar was one of the five who had participated in the interview for the job, but none of them were recruited.
Joypati alleged that they had not been given the job because they had refused to pay Tk12-14 lakh demanded from each of them for the job citing their financial paucity.
He said one of the people employed was a Muslim named Abu Salam, and five others were Hindus – Keli Das, Minati Das, Ramananda Das, Abir Das and Subrata Das.
Citing irregularities and other examples of nepotism, former hospital staff Mazedul Haq and others have lodged a complaint with local MP Ramesh Chandra Sen, demanding an end to such practices. They have also staged a protest.
On Sunday, they besieged the civil surgeon’s office and threw dirt and human excrement at its gate, stairs and windows.
Civil Surgeon Afzal Hossain Tarafdar said: “The candidates have been appointed by selecting them in line with the government rules. They were all certified sweepers.”
The Harijans have also alleged irregularities and nepotism in six other appointments by the civil surgeon.
Focal person Premdwip of the Dalit and Adivasi Programme of Thakurgaon Eco Social Development Organisation said: “How they have been deprived is the violation of the government rules. Legal steps should be taken against this.”