Harijans

Harijan is an occupational group or community.

Harijan is an occupational group or community. They are traditionally known as sweepers and many of them consider themselves as social outcasts or ‘Dalit’. The term, ‘Dalit’ is used to define the status of those who are outside the four varnas, which means they belong to the so-called fifth category in the Hindu casteism. They are untouchables even to the Shudras. They are the most neglected in society and they are the most deprived of all social privileges. The members of the Harijan community work as cleaners in the cities and pourashavas (municipalities) all over the country except for three districts of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Like the tea workers, the members of the Harijan communities were brought to what is now Bangladesh from India’s Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh regions during the British colonial period. Cleaning has been their main occupation for more than 200 years now. The Harijans with a population of around 100,000 are one of the most marginal communities who are afflicted with a variety of social and economic problems.