In an interview with Dev Kumar Sunuwar for the Hammer Show, indigenous activist Hari Purna Tripura highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by Bangladesh's 54 indigenous groups. These communities, representing over 5 million people and speaking at least 35 languages, continue to struggle for recognition and basic rights in the face of government indifference and systemic discrimination.
While the 2011 amendment to the Bangladeshi Constitution acknowledges the existence of diverse ethnic groups, it fails to address critical issues related to land rights and political representation for indigenous peoples. This omission has left these communities vulnerable to land grabbing, displacement, and human rights violations.
"The government's refusal to fully recognize indigenous peoples and their rights is a major obstacle to our well-being and survival," stated Tripura. "We are denied our ancestral lands, our languages are marginalized, and our women face alarming levels of violence and discrimination."
The Chittagong Hill Tracts, home to a significant portion of Bangladesh's indigenous population, remain a particular area of concern. Despite the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Agreement, which promised greater autonomy and land rights for indigenous communities in the region, many of its provisions remain unfulfilled.
Tripura emphasized the urgent need for the government to implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts Agreement in full, address land disputes, and protect the rights of indigenous women. He also called for increased investment in indigenous language education and the development of culturally appropriate curricula.
"We are not asking for special treatment," Tripura asserted. "We are simply demanding the recognition and respect that we deserve as the original inhabitants of this land."
Recent initiatives, such as the amendment of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act in 2016 and the nationalization of primary schools in the region, offer a glimmer of hope. However, indigenous activists stress that much more needs to be done to ensure the full realization of indigenous peoples' rights in Bangladesh.
The international community has also called on Bangladesh to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to take concrete steps to address the concerns of its indigenous communities.