A ninth-grader boy of the marginalized Horijon community in Rangpur was denied food at a popular eatery, Mouban Hotel and Restaurant, recently.
As the boy protested the discrimination, the manager hurled abuses and thrashed him out, before pasting a sicker that reads “Sweepers are not allowed to eat here” at the entrance of the restaurant, located on the busy Kachari Bazar Road of the city
The assault of Jiban Basfor has shook the conscious minds of his community, the local civil society members and the netizens, who condemned the incident as inhuman.
The activists held a protest rally in Kachari Bazar area on Monday afternoon to demand due rights for the Horijons as per the Constitution. Horijon Odhikar Aday Sangathan conducted the demonstration, when its Rangpur district unit President Suresh Basfor, Vice President Raju Basfor, General Secretary Saju Basfor were present.
Member of Bangladesh Nari Mukti Kendra district unit Advocate Kamrunnahar Khanam Shikha and Basod (Marxist) district unit Convenor Anwar Hossain Bablu spoke in solidarity.
The speakers strongly condemned the incident. They said it was unfortunate that Horijon community is facing discrimination on the basis of caste, profession and language in an independent country.
They warned that such mind-set is a big obstacle to the development of the society, state and individuals. The Horijon people have always played an important role in the development of the country, but they are still deprived of their civil rights.
Horijon community leaders demanded that the administration take appropriate steps to prevent such incident from happening again.
Contacted on Monday, the manager of Mouban Hotel and Restaurant refused to make any comment.