Keen to get educated, still denied better jobs 

Securing better jobs beyond cleaning for the city, higher education, and housing remains a long-unfulfilled dream for the Harijans.

“We do not have breakfast in the morning. Instead, we use that money towards educating our children. Despite our hard-earned education, our living conditions remain unchanged,” said Gagan Das, a resident of Mironzillah Harijan colony in Bangshal of the capital.

“Jobs, whether in government or the private sector, are out of reach for us because employers are reluctant to hire anyone from our colony,” said Gagan, a former president of Harijan Sevak Samiti and a cleaner of Dhaka South City Corporation.

Another Harijan cleaner, speaking anonymously, told TBS, “We have been residents of this colony for generations. Our grandparents also grew up here. We are denied access to all basic civil services of the country. All we ask for is the right to own this small piece of land, so we don’t have to face eviction repeatedly.”

The plight of this minority community again came to the spotlight following Dhaka South’s recent eviction drive in the colony. 

On 10 June, the Dhaka South City Corporation razed dozens of houses in the colony, leaving many residents homeless and without refuge. The drive was conducted to free up the space to construct a modern market.

Following the drive, on 21 June, the Bangladesh Harijan Oikya Parishad presented a memorandum to the prime minister spelling out eight demands. These included halting the evictions from the colony, providing employment opportunities and permanent housing for the Harijan community.

A visit to the colony showed several girls chatting in front of a house. They informed TBS that they attend various schools and colleges but have slim to no chances of securing good jobs in the face of current realities. 

Another Harijan woman said despite obtaining a Master’s degree from Eden Mohila College, she remains unemployed. She said that this is a common situation among the educated youth of the colony.

Several individuals in the colony also claimed they were unable to secure decent government or private sector jobs even after graduating from various universities across the country, including Dhaka University and Jagannath University.

Sambhu, a middle-aged Harijan cleaner, told TBS, “Many people my age pursued education. I couldn’t study due to my family’s impoverished circumstances. However, it would not have made any difference; my educated friends are now employed as cleaners just like me.”

The Miranzilla colony, spanning more than 327 decimals of land in Bangshal, is estimated to be 400 years old.

While there are no specific data on how many people reside in the colony, local estimates vary between 3,000 and 4,000 members from around 700 families.

Media reports state that members of around 500 families from the colony are currently involved in work under the city corporation. Members from the remaining 200 families have also worked for government bodies at some point in their lives.

The population of Harijans across the country is significantly larger. Research conducted by Mazharul Islam and Altaf Parvez in 2013 estimated that there are currently 55 to 60 lakh Harijans residing in Bangladesh.

The Harijans have long been demanding a quota in government jobs to break out of the chain of cleaning jobs. So far the government has not allocated them any such quota.

With little economic development, most Harijans can’t afford to pay for their children’s higher education.

On 13 June, the High Court imposed a one-month suspension on the eviction process of the Harijan colony. Dhaka South has been instructed to enforce this order immediately.

Meanwhile, civil society has also criticised Dhaka South’s eviction drive.