A view exchange meeting with learned Judges of Kurigram district to facilitate access to legal aid for marginalized and Dalit communities was held in the conference room of district and session judge at 4.30 pm on Wednesday (June 05).
Kurigram Senior District and Session Judge Mohammad Alamgir Kabir was present as the chief guest while learned Chief Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Alamgir Kabir Shipon and learned Additional District and Session Judge Mohammad Abdus Salam were present as the special guests.

Partnership Manager and senior program advisor gender diversity and advocacy, HEKS. SaibunNesa delivered the well come speech. Director of Mohideb Jubo Samaj Kallan Samity(MJSKS) Shamol Chandra Sarkar, Human Rights worker Manik Sarkar, social worker BhogotBabu, eminent lawyer advocate Abraham Lincolnand Dolito women spoke among others. The speakers emphasized of their development.

According to the survey of the Directorate of Social Services, there are about 43.58 lakh Dalit communities in Bangladesh. Dalits and marginalized people have been living in Kurigram for a long time as part of our history and culture. However, among them, the Dalit community is marginalized or victimized.

They are known as extremely neglected, isolated, neglected population. Banshfor, Dom, Raut, Hari, fishermen, Sanyasi, barber, cobbler, washer man, Patni etc. living in Kurigram district belong to the so called lower caste people of Dalit community. Most of the livelihoods of the marginalized and Dalit communities here are manifested in the land ownership crisis and housing crisis in the lands they live on.

Many a times land grabbers are encroaching on their land and they are under threat of eviction. After all, Dalits and marginalized people in Kurigram have been victims of discrimination, poverty and deprivation for ages and are being subjected to false and harassing cases. One of these is land related issues.

In order to remove this problem, they are urging for urgent resolution of eviction from their land, possession of land, non-return of land rights and other criminal and civil cases pending in the Kurigram court. Most of the Dalit people of Kurigram district do not have their own residence.

They live temporarily on railway land,government khas land and other private land which is often under threat of eviction. Apart from this, income generating have limited job opportunities, leg behind in education and they are considered as low caste.

They cannot enter hotels and restaurants for food. All these issues hinder the development of Dalit community. Basically, those who are destitute, poor and helpless, that are unable to establish their legal rights due to lack of money, legal assistance is given to take legal action in civil, criminal, family cases on behalf of them in the court.

Judicial officers,reporters and some Dolito communities came from different parts in the district participated in the meeting.