Human rights of small ethnic groups has not improved

On 18 September last year (2024), a Bengali youth was killed in a mob lynching in the hill district of Khagrachhari on charges of motorcycle theft. The following day, a man of local ethnic community died in a mob lynching during violence between Bengalis and Paharis in Dighinala upazila. That night, two hill youths were killed by the gunfire of law enforcement agencies in the district headquarters. Following these events, a young man named Anik Kumar Chakma was publicly beaten to death in Rangamati town on September 20.

Violence in the hills is not new, but last year saw a major outbreak of such violence after a long time.

The oppression against ethnic groups has not decreased over the past year. There has been no significant progress in implementing the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord. The ongoing reform processes do not reflect the demands of ethnic groups, and the work of the Land Commission in the hills has been halted.

Kapeng Foundation, an organisation that works on the rights of small ethnic groups, released a report on the human rights situation up to 31 July of this year. The report indicates that there were 24 incidents of oppression against women from small ethnic groups during this period, with 21 occurring in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and three in the plains. Six women were victims of rape and gang rape, and two were killed.

Across the hills and plains, there have been 34 incidents of human rights violations, including deaths after arrest, detention without trial, assault, harassment, and forced religious conversion.

Pallab Chakma, Executive Director of Kapeng Foundation, told Prothom Alo, "No matter how you look at it, by numbers or by type, the oppression of indigenous people has not decreased. The nature of this recent violence in the hills is something we haven't seen before."

Regarding the case of the two tribal youths killed in Khagrachhari town, Sadar Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Abdul Baten Mridha said the case is still under investigation.

Concerning the case of Anik Chakma, who was publicly beaten to death in Rangamati, Kotwali Police Station's OC Shaheb Uddin stated that six people have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing.

To date, a proposal was made for Chakma Circle Chief Barrister Raja Devasish Roy to be a part of one of the reform commissions formed during the interim government. However, he was ultimately not included. Last October, Raja Devasish Roy told Prothom Alo, "Those involved in the formation of the reform commission had proposed my inclusion. I cannot say how that appointment proposal was ultimately cancelled."

Nirupa Dewan and Ilira Dewan were included in the Women's Affairs Reform Commission and the Local Government Reform Commission, respectively. However, Nirupa Dewan believes the recommendations of these commissions did not do justice to the long-standing demands of small ethnic groups. She told Prothom Alo, "The term 'indigenous' is not even in the constitution reform commission. Yet, the Chief Advisor himself used this word when he came to the country last August. The issue of constitutional recognition has been completely ignored by the constitution reform commission."

The National Consensus Commission has met with various political parties. The Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) is a major party in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the one with which the government signed the historic Hill Tracts Peace Accord in 1997. However, the commission did not hold any discussions with the JSS. Deepayan Khisa, a member of the JSS central committee, said, "Despite repeated requests for a meeting with the Consensus Commission, they did not respond."

While the commission did not meet with the JSS, it did hold a dialogue with the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), a group that opposes the Hill Tracts Peace Accord. However, following criticism, a second meeting with the UPDF was not held.

Sanjib Drong, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum, told Prothom Alo, "This government was formed to eliminate discrimination, but we have not seen any effort by the government to do so. We have no place in the reform process. In fact, human rights violations have increased."

There is a national-level monitoring committee for the implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord. The interim government restructured it, and the committee's first and only meeting was held on July 19. This single meeting is the only action the government has taken regarding the implementation of the accord.

During the July mass uprising, that one graffiti of a tree with five leaves became well-known in the capital and other parts of the country. The five leaves represented "Hindu-Muslim-Buddhist-Christian-Indigenous" and the text read, "Tearing a leaf is forbidden."

In January of this year, this graffiti was included on the back cover of the class nine and ten Bengali language textbook, 'Bangla Bhashar Byakaran O Nirmiti'. In protest, an organisation of Bengalis (primarily immigrants to the hills) called 'Students for Sovereignty' began a movement demanding its removal. Eventually, the NCTB removed it.

In response, indigenous students in Dhaka started their own protests. On January 15, as they marched toward the NCTB building in Motijheel, they were attacked by members of 'Students for Sovereignty'. At least 15 people were injured, including Rupaiya Shrestha Tongchangya. A Dhaka University student, she was actively involved in the anti-discrimination student movement and later became the central joint convenor of the Democratic Students' Union. Rupaiya said, "I never imagined such an attack would happen in the heart of the capital. I had hoped that violence against us would decrease under the interim government, but I am disappointed."