Often we come across people who fight for the unprivileged people in the country. Some get known, while some remain hidden in the pages of history. However, the contribution of these Unsung heroes make our history and hidden within its creaks are those who have dedicated their lives to the welfare of those who couldn’t fight for themselves. It is our responsibility to not only support these heroes, but also make sure that the world knows them. Among such individuals, is Dr. Monojit Singha, who has been fighting for the underprivileged people of the North East.
Dr. Monojit Singha is a member of an international rights organisation and is fighting tooth and nail for the rights of the socio-economic backward communities of Northeast. The human rights defender works for the vulnerable who don’t have the means to fight for their own rights, helping them emerge from their dire and precarious situations. For the last 20 years, Dr. Singha has been working for these communities, not only for their well-being but also to help them deal with legal issues. Facing threats and harassment has become normal for him, however, they have had little impact on his dedication towards helping these communities.
Since a very young age, Dr. Singha has been advocating for the marginalised section of the society. His efforts have greatly helped these communities to elevate their living standards and conditions. For his fight against human rights violation, he has been awarded “Global Ambassador for Human Rights”, a prestigious award conferred to those who fight relentlessly for the marginalised communities. He is also the founding chairman of Lakshyam Gurukul that solely focuses on the education of the children, putting extra effort towards girls achieving equality. Champions often face hurdles in their path to bringing change, whether it is economical, political or social. But for Dr. Monojiit Singha, these are small issues in front of the massive problems that these poor communities face.
There are countless stories of Dr. Monojit Singha’s compassion. In July 2020, a 16 year old died due to a doctor’s negligence at the Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Guwahati. The teen was suffering from severe abdominal pain but was demanded a Covid negative certificate before treatment. The queue was long and unable to bear the pain, the young adult had to return home, post which he sadly passed away. Dr. Singha took the matter to NHRC who after discussion concluded that the patient should’ve been at least checked before any further treatment to detect the severity of the issue, prompting the state government to pay INR 3L as compensation to the family. Though it couldn’t bring the victim back to his family, the sheer courage that Dr. Singha showed was enough for the communities to believe in him and resort to him for their troubles.
From seeking loan waivers for small traders to urging the state government to pay compensation for medical negligence, there are a lot of such hurdles that Dr. Singha had faced and yet stood strong in this face of adversity. Fighting for human rights is not an easy road but those who dare stand strong in the face of adversity emerge as winners. But how many such relentless individuals or organisations do we know of? Throughout the country there are many Dr. Singha who are fighting every day for the betterment of the people and yet, there is hardly any recognition or appreciation for them. Dr. Singha is an amazing example of those unsung heroes who silently wage war against the exploitation of the marginalised communities of India and emerge victorious against all odds.
