Kaiputra (pig rearing community)

Marginalized and Excluded Communities

Also known as Kawra, this community with a guesstimated population of 12,000 are despised in the society because they rear pigs, an animal ‘filthy’ to the Muslim majority. To most other people in society, they are considered untouchables. The Kaiputras, belonging to Hindu religion, live mostly in southwestern districts of Jashore, Satkhira and Khulna. SEHD carried out a detailed survey on the Kaiputra in 2017-2018. The survey finds that living in 41 southwestern villages, these people are engaged in traditional occupation, i.e. rearing pigs in the open fields. There are another 29 villages with Kaiputra concentration but they changed their occupation and stopped rearing pigs in the open. Such villages in Satkhira have turned into fishing villages. Because the neighbours neglect the Kaiputra, they try to hide their identity.