Since the birth of the state of Bangladesh, the term “Adivasi” has been a source of great “irritation” to the rulers at different times. Sometimes they are defined as tribes, sometimes as small ethnic groups, but no one wants to call them tribes. However, the long-standing demand of people of mountainous ethnic groups is recognition of tribal identity. Their leaders say how our identity will be defined by others!
Exactly what words can define “they”? This conflict or debate is very old in Bangladesh. This point sparked controversy again when the question of whether graffiti in textbooks should contain tribes or not came to the fore. The July Solstice murals have been added to the new textbook for the year 2025. There the names of different religions are written on different leaves of a tree image under the title “Do not tear the leaves.” An organization objected to one of them with the word “tribal” written on it. Based on this objection, the students of the ethnic group protested against the removal of the image containing the word “tribal” from the cover of this secondary school book. Their question: There was no division in the July coup, so why did he “pick” the tribal leaf from the tree?
The protests escalated after a counter-protest march and from there an attack by activists from the Students for Sovereignty organization on ethnic students, resulting in about 20 people being injured.
Violence, ethnic hatred and intolerance have no place in Bangladesh, the press wing said in a statement issued by the chief advisor. The government warned of strict action against anyone involved in activities that destroy harmony, peace, law and order.
“Arrest and trial are not the only demands. We must also answer why the photo was withdrawn and replaced properly,” said Zubaida Nasreen, professor of the Department of Anthropology at Dhaka University. The government will not be able to evade responsibility by expressing regret before that.”
He also said: “When the image is removed at the request of any organization, any organization will consider it as a revelation.” Here I see more irresponsibility on the part of the government.
What is the harm if it is indigenous? In the midst of this coup, we can think of many reforms, but we are unable to push them forward. “We believe that Bangladesh is a multi-ethnic country,” said Sarwar Tushar, joint convener of the National Citizens Committee. “Everyone here is Bangladeshi citizens, but they are divided into different ethnicities.” For example – Bangladeshi Bengali, Bangladeshi Chakma, Bangladeshi Mandi, Bangladeshi Santhal etc. It is difficult to express this huge diversity in one word and again, there is a possibility of creating division It is not necessary between Bangladeshis and tribals and that is why we believe that everyone is a Bangladeshi citizen and should have constitutional recognition of their citizenship and in addition, everyone’s rights to language, religion and culture should remain intact.
Pointing out the need to restore the removed graffiti, tribal rights activist Dipayan Khesa said: “The government cannot complete its duty by merely expressing regret.” It then becomes airborne. We want to see criminals caught. I also demand that the government be instructed to return the graffiti that was removed. What my identity will be or not is entirely up to me. Who are the others to fix my identity?
It may be noted that in a program organized before the NCTB, the joint convener of Sovereignty Students and Dhaka University student, Muhammad Yaqub Majumder, made five-point demands. The demands include the following: No speech may be given addressing non-Bengali tribes (a small ethnic group), no book may be printed, no writing may be written, and no play, film or story may be written. Bengalis should get constitutional recognition as the only indigenous people of Bangladesh. A notification should be issued declaring that advocacy and propaganda of small ethnic groups (other than Bengalis) “tribals” shall be seditious offences.
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“Minorities” or “Indigenous Peoples”: Will discrimination end?
New writings are added in textbooks by deleting the word “Indigenous”