Along with most Bengali people, Bangladesh is home to over 54 indigenous peoples who speak at least 35 languages. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is still not in effect in Bangladesh, and the nation's indigenous peoples continue to be denied their political and economic rights.
Beginning with British colonial policies that encouraged Bengali settlement in the hills, the Chittagong Hill Tracts region has a long history of conflict. Indigenous communities were consequently uprooted and marginalized. Tensions between the new settlers and indigenous groups were exacerbated in the 1980s when the government resettled thousands of landless Bengali families in the 5,500 sq-miles (14,200sq-km) CHT.
Indigenous peoples are not acknowledged as indigenous by the Bangladeshi government. Since the 2011 Constitutional Amendment, individuals with ethnic identities other than those of the Bengali population have been acknowledged. However, only cultural aspects are discussed, and problems pertaining to indigenous peoples' political and economic rights -- particularly their rights to land -- remain unaddressed.
The Shanti Bahini, a tribal guerilla group, and the then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina's government signed a peace agreement in 1997, putting an end to a 25-year insurgency that sought political autonomy for the area.
Bangladeshi government regimes have a history of deploying militia in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, which restricts the movement and daily lives of indigenous people. Their temples were routinely broken down, houses burned and they were not allowed to establish any schools with their own curriculum.
Now that the interim government led by Nobel Peace prize winner Professor Yunus is in power, the unrest has yet to ease. The CHT are burning and the Bengalis are turning a blind eye.
There have been continuous attacks on the indigenous Jummo people in the CHT. The disturbances started on September 18, after a Bengali settler was allegedly killed by a mob. Bengali settler groups unfairly blamed the Jummo community without conducting a thorough investigation. The Officer-in-Charge of Khagrachari Police station corroborated an alternative account.
The poisonous narratives of hatred and division that support these atrocities must be rejected by the people of Bangladesh
On September 19, in the evening, Bengali settlers used this as an excuse to attack and set fire to the properties of Jummo people in Dighinala Upazila, Khagrachari.
Numerous homes and businesses, mostly owned by minority Buddhists, were attacked or set on fire. Witnesses claimed that loudspeakers in nearby mosques were used to incite Bengali mobs, and Buddhist temples were targeted. In protest of the Dighinala attack, Jummo youth staged a road blockade in the Khagrachari Sadar neighbourhoods of Swanirbhar, Naranghiya, and Upalipara later that evening. Military vehicles arrived at around nine o'clock at night.
According to live footage that went viral on social media, the military opened fire on the Jummo people to disperse the crowd, killing one person and injuring several others. Several deaths have been confirmed in Dighinala and Khagrachari, and the number of casualties could increase because some hospitalized victims are seriously hurt.
The government has stayed put, the media hasn’t made noise.
So why do we, the Bengali people, feel entitled to the rights, property, and autonomy of the indigenous people of Bangladesh? This can best be explained by the “Theory of the Other.” It describes how dominant groups, predicated on racial, religious, or ethnic identity, perceive marginalized groups as inherently distinct, inferior, or dangerous.
By dividing "Bengalis" (the dominant group) from "indigenous people" (the Other), this process of "othering" is socially and politically legitimized and encourages exclusion, prejudice, and even violence. In order to maintain cycles of oppression, the dominant group may be motivated by feelings of insecurity, cultural superiority, or historical tensions to assert their identity by dehumanizing and mistreating those who are perceived as outsiders.
This theory aids in explaining why indigenous people of Bangladesh are pushed away from society as “ethnic minorities” and why they face marginalization or attacks.
Does this justify how we treat the indigenous population of our country? Absolutely not. Bangladesh is in a new dawn where the youth are the beacon of light of the future. Since this is a new era of Bangladesh, let it begin by ensuring the safety of all citizens of the country, regardless of their ethnic identities.
It's time for the Bengali people and the government of Bangladesh to firmly address the systematic oppression and acts of violence against indigenous communities. The attacks must stop immediately because they are a disgrace to the conscience of our country. Swift action is necessary to hold those responsible for crimes accountable -- we want to end the impunity and silence.
The poisonous narratives of hatred and division that support these atrocities must be rejected by the people of Bangladesh. If not now, then when?
SM Sharmin Jahan is a freelance contributor.