Bangladesh is still reeling from the influx of Rohingya escaping persecution in Rakhine, neighboring state of Myanmar. World is vociferous against the discrimination and tortures meted out to the hapless Rohingyas. Many rebuke the Myanmar government for dillydallying, as a sign of total disregard to the bilateral agreements signed between the two countries. This year's World Indigenous Day, or Adivasi Divas, bears a different connotation to millions of indigenous people living under constant persecution in a country that recently annulled the public service quotas reserved for them. It is a day that reminds them how a country willfully negates their rights to this land, hurts them as government fails to keep its promises and haunts them as persecution and land grabbing continue unabated.
Bangladesh's recent treatment to Santals and Biharis bears the testament how it looks down upon its own citizens who subscribed to different creed and race. In addition, failure to implement the Chittagong Peace Accord, signed in 1997, to bring an end to the conflict in CHT puts under scanner the commitment of Bangladesh to the legitimate rights of vulnerable groups who face real risk of marginalization in their own lands.
In 2016, an eviction drive at a Sugar Mill land, belongs to Santals who live there decades after decades, left three Santals dead and scores injured. Ruling party stalwarts and police played an instrumental role in that drive. Party stalwarts used them as pawns before local elections. That drive rendered thousands of Santal families homeless.Last month Police pressed charge against ninety people but dropped the names of then ruling party MP and some police personnel. However, Santals are yet to be rehabilitated and now spend their days in makeshift dwellings.
Not only the Santals even the Urdu-speaking minority Muslim group Biharis also face persistent persecution in the country. Recently, Kalshi camp dwellers held a hunger strike in protest against a road expansion project that made homeless scores of families. This same camp was subject of a clash between adjacent slum dwellers and Biharis resulting in burning alive nine Biharis in 2014. In Mohammadpur another camp of Biharis faced repeated drives from law enforcement forces--- one in the pretext of anti narcotics drive and another against unauthorized construction of two-storey houses in spite of the fact that the camp was built under Geneva convention. Earlier all the electricity connections to Bihari camps scattered across Bangladesh had been cut off. In many cases, for instance in Kalshi and Mirpur 10, eviction of Bihari families continues in complete disregard to stay order of High Court. What is interesting many housing projects are going on surrounding the camps. Since Biharis are politically marginalized and many do not like role of some of the Biharis in 1971,this persecuted group does not manage to gather enough support from the local population for their cause.
But this land grabbing of the real Adivasis is also happening in other parts of Bangladesh as well. Chittagong Hill Tracts(CHT) that witnessed country's longest running insurgency is still a zone of brewing tensions between Bengali settlers and ethnic groups like Chakma, Marma .Some macabre violence took place in this region claiming lives of hundreds of ethnic people. In 1981, a communal violence between Chakma and Bengali resulted in deaths of 500 people, most of whom are Chakmas.Often this violence is aggravated by controversial role of state machinery. On June 2 2017, another round of communal attack burned to ashes 237 homes, killing 1 person and injuring 3 more. A Peace Accord was signed in 1997 but Bangladesh government failed to comply crucial clauses of that accord. Last year series of shooting incidents wiped out leaders of two factions of the separatist movement. Kapaeeng Foundation that keeps tracks of and documents incidents of attacks and discrimination against indigenous people in CHT and plain lands brings out annual reports on human rights violations in indigenous people inhabitated region. In its report for 2017, Kapaeeng Foundation finds that amount of land under grabbing or in the process of acquisition increased manifold within a year. The 2017 report also reports increasing number of arson attack, surge in torture of indigenous people and growing number of cases filed against them in a bid to harass and intimidate them. In addition, indiscriminate house searches have also grown in 2017. An aura of peace prevails but elements of tensions between communities are still there. Government does not feel any urge to dispel the sore points.
Perhaps the blunt mockery to Adivasi rights took palce in 2018 when at one fell swoop government revoked the Adivasi quotas in government jobs. Despite repeated assurance, we have not seen any concrete step towards undoing the government decision. Government's decision is tantamount to create privileges for dominant group, as the Bhumiputre policy did in Malaysia, corroding severely plural identity of a country. So when we point fingers to others across borders for failing to live upto the negotiated terms, we at home turned a blind eye to the rights and demands of true son of the lands. It is appalling that voiceless and marginalized community inside the country is not being treated as equal and is not provided a safe and secure space. They are so weak that we do not see any local and international coverage about their sufferings and plights. Unless Santals, Biharis, Chakmas, Garos and other minor communities get the equal status of a Bangladeshi, Bangladesh cannot complete the circle of a true success story.Let the next Adivasi Divas be a reason for optimism and for having trust in this country, not just be a day to air grievances.
Bangladesh's recent treatment to Santals and Biharis bears the testament how it looks down upon its own citizens who subscribed to different creed and race. In addition, failure to implement the Chittagong Peace Accord, signed in 1997, to bring an end to the conflict in CHT puts under scanner the commitment of Bangladesh to the legitimate rights of vulnerable groups who face real risk of marginalization in their own lands.
In 2016, an eviction drive at a Sugar Mill land, belongs to Santals who live there decades after decades, left three Santals dead and scores injured. Ruling party stalwarts and police played an instrumental role in that drive. Party stalwarts used them as pawns before local elections. That drive rendered thousands of Santal families homeless.Last month Police pressed charge against ninety people but dropped the names of then ruling party MP and some police personnel. However, Santals are yet to be rehabilitated and now spend their days in makeshift dwellings.
Not only the Santals even the Urdu-speaking minority Muslim group Biharis also face persistent persecution in the country. Recently, Kalshi camp dwellers held a hunger strike in protest against a road expansion project that made homeless scores of families. This same camp was subject of a clash between adjacent slum dwellers and Biharis resulting in burning alive nine Biharis in 2014. In Mohammadpur another camp of Biharis faced repeated drives from law enforcement forces--- one in the pretext of anti narcotics drive and another against unauthorized construction of two-storey houses in spite of the fact that the camp was built under Geneva convention. Earlier all the electricity connections to Bihari camps scattered across Bangladesh had been cut off. In many cases, for instance in Kalshi and Mirpur 10, eviction of Bihari families continues in complete disregard to stay order of High Court. What is interesting many housing projects are going on surrounding the camps. Since Biharis are politically marginalized and many do not like role of some of the Biharis in 1971,this persecuted group does not manage to gather enough support from the local population for their cause.
But this land grabbing of the real Adivasis is also happening in other parts of Bangladesh as well. Chittagong Hill Tracts(CHT) that witnessed country's longest running insurgency is still a zone of brewing tensions between Bengali settlers and ethnic groups like Chakma, Marma .Some macabre violence took place in this region claiming lives of hundreds of ethnic people. In 1981, a communal violence between Chakma and Bengali resulted in deaths of 500 people, most of whom are Chakmas.Often this violence is aggravated by controversial role of state machinery. On June 2 2017, another round of communal attack burned to ashes 237 homes, killing 1 person and injuring 3 more. A Peace Accord was signed in 1997 but Bangladesh government failed to comply crucial clauses of that accord. Last year series of shooting incidents wiped out leaders of two factions of the separatist movement. Kapaeeng Foundation that keeps tracks of and documents incidents of attacks and discrimination against indigenous people in CHT and plain lands brings out annual reports on human rights violations in indigenous people inhabitated region. In its report for 2017, Kapaeeng Foundation finds that amount of land under grabbing or in the process of acquisition increased manifold within a year. The 2017 report also reports increasing number of arson attack, surge in torture of indigenous people and growing number of cases filed against them in a bid to harass and intimidate them. In addition, indiscriminate house searches have also grown in 2017. An aura of peace prevails but elements of tensions between communities are still there. Government does not feel any urge to dispel the sore points.
Perhaps the blunt mockery to Adivasi rights took palce in 2018 when at one fell swoop government revoked the Adivasi quotas in government jobs. Despite repeated assurance, we have not seen any concrete step towards undoing the government decision. Government's decision is tantamount to create privileges for dominant group, as the Bhumiputre policy did in Malaysia, corroding severely plural identity of a country. So when we point fingers to others across borders for failing to live upto the negotiated terms, we at home turned a blind eye to the rights and demands of true son of the lands. It is appalling that voiceless and marginalized community inside the country is not being treated as equal and is not provided a safe and secure space. They are so weak that we do not see any local and international coverage about their sufferings and plights. Unless Santals, Biharis, Chakmas, Garos and other minor communities get the equal status of a Bangladeshi, Bangladesh cannot complete the circle of a true success story.Let the next Adivasi Divas be a reason for optimism and for having trust in this country, not just be a day to air grievances.
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