Rights of Indigenous People
and Minority Issues in Bangladesh
by Muhammed Kamal Uddin
Bangladesh is the largest deltaic region of the world. It is a low-lying riverine land and almost entirely surrounded by India except for about a 300 k.m. border with Burma (Myanmar) in the southeast. The Bay of Bengal lies to the South of Bangladesh. The coastline of the Bay of Bengal always changes. The coastline is fed by the great rivers systems of the Ganges-Padma, the Brahmaputra- the Jamuna, the Meghna, the Karnafuli, the Sangu and their innumerable tributaries. Most of Bangladesh is barely above sea-level. About 40 percent of the land of Bangladesh goes under water during normal rainy season that lasts from June to October. The only hill area of Bangladesh is located in the Southeast, known as Chittagong hill tracts-CHTs.
The estimated population of Bangladesh is about 140 million in an area of about 56000 sq miles (145000 sp. k.m.). It has a population density of over 900 per sq. mile; the greatest in the world except Singapore which is almost a city state whereas Bangladesh is an agricultural country. Its population growth is more the 2 percent per annum that outstrip its economic growth.
The ruling elite considers that over population is the greatest problem and responsible for poverty in Bangladesh. They do not usually take into considerations important factors other than ‘over-population’ for the endemic causes of poverty. The other root causes of poverty are corruption, fundamentalism, misrule and misgovernance, absence of rule of law, economic justice, transparency, accountability and responsibility at all levels of Government machinaries. The elite minority who rules the country controls the socio-economic and political structures of Bangladesh to their own advantage & interests rather than looking after the interests, welfare & wellbeing of the entire population irrespective of religion, caste, creed and political identity.
2. Resources and Poverty of Bangladesh :
Bangladesh is blessed with its hard working people, fertile soil, forests, hills, innumerable rivers & their tributaries, abundant water and favourable climatic conditions for the growth of cash and food crops round the year. Yet it is dependent on foreign food aid to feed its people. The other resources of Bangladesh are natural gas found in 16 fields with one oil field meeting 6 percent of the national needs. It has also limestone and coal resources.
Agriculture sectors contribute about 40 percent to Bangladesh’s GDP. Jute still remains one of the major foreign exchange earners, although ready-made garment – RMG is responsible for 75 percent of the foreign exchange earnings of Bangladesh. Export of labour, shrimps and prawns, tea, leather, vegetable, fruits, potato, toiletries, medicine, overseas remittance etc. also bring a huge amount of foreign currencies for Bangladesh. More than 75 percent people of Bangladesh live in the rural areas & the agricultural sector generates employment opportunity for 75 percent of the people. 60 percent of the rural people are functionally landless & are still dependent on agriculture for their means of livelihood as agricultural labourers & sharecroppers etc.
Only 25 percent people of Bangladesh live in urban & peri-urban areas of Bangladesh. Out of them 40 percent are poor. They live in the slums & shanties of cities, town, municipalities and peri-urban areas. Bangladesh is considered one of the poorest country of the world. It belongs to the groups of 48 least developed countries of the world. Per capita income of Bangladesh’s people is about US $360/= only. 50 percent of the people live on less than one US $1/= a day and 60 percent live on less than US $2/= a day. It has also been ranked as the most corrupt country of the world consecutively for the last 5 years by the Transparency International-TI. For its development budget, Bangladesh is about 85 percent dependent on foreign aid. Large numbers of international aid and development agencies including a huge number of NGOs work in Bangladesh for its upliftment over the last 34 years. The World Bank-WB, International Moneytary Fund-IMF, Asian development Bank-ADB and Japan are the major donors for Bangladesh. The benefits of aid usually do not trickle down to the poor & powerless people of Bangladesh. According to Prof. Abul Barakat of the university of Dhaka, Bangladesh received more than Taka 200,000/= crore over the last 34 years from 1972 to 2003 as foreign loan & aid. 25 percent of this amount was collectively looted by the agents of suppliers of foreign machinery and consultants, 30 percent Taka was eaten up by the bureaucrats, politicians, commission agents & construction contractors, 20 percent Taka was embezzled by the upper and middle class people of the rural & urban areas and only 25 percent Taka reached to those poor for whom, the entire 200,000/= core Taka was received. As a result the entire nation is made indebted to the donor countries & agencies. Per-capita indebtedness of the people of Bangladesh is about US $120/=. Prof. Barakat further said that both the Government and NGOs could not bring any significant change to the fate of the common people. He added that about nine crore people (90 million) were deprived of sanitation facility, six crore (60 million) people had no access to primary health care services, five crore (50 million) adult were illiterate, about two crore (20 million) primary and secondary level students could not be enrolled. Since 1971, the Government and NGOs received about 200,000 crore Taka as foreign aid but only 25 percent of the amount had been spent for the welfare of the people and the rest were drained out due to corrupt Government officials and NGO’s.
The above findings clearly show that foreign aid & loan received and borrowed from overseas countries & donor agencies did not benefit the poor, rather it helped the rich to become richer. So, basically foreign aid & loan received by the Govt. & NGOs widened the gap between the haves and have-nots than minimizing the already existing gaps. Moreover, the use & application of foreign aid were found inappropriate & destructive of natural resources, human being, live stock population etc. Foreign aid adversely affected the indigenous people & minorities in Bangladesh. It is also found that `foreign aid` added & compounded sufferings and poverty of the poor & the marginalized of Bangladesh’s society.
The Daily Shamakal, one of the leading daily news paper of Bangladesh, in its editorial said that the share in GDP of the poorest 10 percent decreased from 1999 to 2004. In 1999 their share in the GDP was 1.7 percent, after 5 years in 2004 their share came down to 1.5 percent. On the other hand, the share in GDP of the richest 10 percent drastically increased from 33.9 percent to 36.5 percent. This clearly indicates that the gaps between the rich & the poor has further widen. If this trend continues, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals-MDGs will remain a far cry.
‘The Economist’ in its recent article ‘Inequality and the American Dream’ thoroughly analyzed different aspects of inequalities and its consequences on people, society & state. The Economist concluded ‘Inequality is not inherently wrong - as long as three conditions are met: first, society as a whole is getting richer; second, there is a safety net for the very poor; and third, everybody, regardless of class, race, creed or sex, has an opportunity to climb up through the systems’. Unfortunately, none of the above condition exists in Bangladesh. Consequently, most of the people of Bangladesh have no access to food, shelter, medicare, employment opportunity & other basic services required for descent living.
The history of Bangladesh is full of the history of dominations & struggles for independence from alien invaders & rulers. The Aryan invaders pushed both Dravidian and the indigenous people to south and east ward from the north and centre of Indian sub-continent between 2000 and 1500 BC. The Hindu and Buddhist dynasties i.e. Mouraya, Gupta, Harsha, Pala and Sena dominated Bangladesh untill 1201 AD when Ikhtiar Uddin Muhammad Bakhtiar Khiljee occupied Bangladesh. Various Muslim dynasties ruled Bangladesh, (Banga, Bangala and Bengal) for hundreds of years and infused new cultural and religious ethos. Bengal was incorporated into the Mughal Empire in 1576. The British East India Company defeated the Mughals of India in 1757 and ruled it for about two hundred years. The company’s rule was replaced by the British Government in 1858 after the suppression of the independent movement (Sepoy Mutiny) of 1857 by the British forces. Bengal became a province of British India after the occupation of India by the British. Kolkata (Calcutta) was made the capital of British India & remained its capital until 1911. In 1905 Bengal was divided into East Bengal & West Bengal. New province of East Bengal & Assam was created by the British. Dhaka (Dacca) was made the capital of the new province. The partition of Bengal was made on the political & religious grounds by the British to perpetuate their rule, plunder its resources and weaken the struggle of untied Bengal although it was re-united in 1912 when the Capital of British India was shifted to Delhi from Kolkata. Kolkata under British rule was developed as capital, port city, industrial, commercial & administrative centres. Bengal was the supplier of food, jute, cotton, silk, muslin, indigo etc. to Kolkata to feed its people and industries. Bengal grew more than 85 percent of world jute to feed jute and carpet industries in Kolkata, U.K. & others. After a long battle, struggle and sacrifices of hundreds & thousands of patriots India won independence. The independence of India from the British rule in 1947 created India & Pakistan. East Pakistan was constituted of East Bengal now Bangladesh and the West Pakistan, separated by about 1000 miles of Indian territory, was composed of the provinces of Sindh, West Panjab (East Panjab with India) Beluchistan & North-West Frontier Region – NWFR. Karachi was made the capital of Pakistan. Although, areas which were predominantly Muslim and contiguous became the new country of Pakistan, yet Chittagong Hill Tracts-CHTs was totally non-Muslim, the area was incorporated into East Pakistan as a part of Chittagong district. The creation of India & Pakistan in 1947 divided Bengal into East Bengal & West Bengal. East Bengal now Bangladesh was made East Pakistan & became a province of Pakistan & West Bengal remained with India & came into being as one of the state of Independent India.
The creation of Pakistan & division of India was the results of the conspiracies of the British rulers, their collaborators in India, the Hindu-Muslim religious fanatics and those who wanted to be Governors, Prime Ministers, Ministers, Generals & ruler of India & Pakistan. Muslims were made to think that they could no longer coexist peacefully with the Hindus in an undivided India. Therefore, they struggled for a new state called Pakistan and the Hindus went for India. But the majority people of both Pakistan & India were not benefited from the partition of India in 1947. Moreover, more than 20 million people of Indian subcontinent fell victims to the partition & now known both in India, Pakistan & Bangladesh as refugees. The indigenous people also suffered from that partitions. The people of Bangladesh including the indigenous people & minorities never accepted foreign rule, domination & exploitation. They struggled & revolted for independence from time to time. And on 26th of March 1971, Bangladesh came into being as an independent & Sovereign State. 75 million people, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhist, Christians and indigenous people irrespective of religion, belief, caste & creed waged armed struggle against the genocide and crime against humanity by the Pakistani Military rulers. Pakistani military forces were defeated and Bangladesh achieved victory on the 16th December, 1971. At the cost of lives of more than 3 million people belonging to all religion, caste & creed, at the sacrifices of chastity of 3 hundred thousand women and at sufferings of millions of people, Bangladesh stands today as an independent nation.
Most of the people of Bangladesh belong to one ethnic and linguistic group and share one religious faith. But it has also a large number of indigenous people, minorities, living in both plain land & hill areas of Bangladesh. According to the official figures, about 98 percent people are Bangalees (Bengalis). It is often said and image given in the overseas that Bangladesh is the land of the Bangalees or Bangladeshis. In terms of language it is true that about 98 percent people of Bangladesh speak in Bangla (Bengali). But unfortunately it is not said that about 2 percent people of Bangladesh are not Bangalee. Bangladesh is a multicultural, multi-religious and multilingual country. These 2 percent indigenous people have their own language, alphabets, numbers, culture, religion and civilization. The economic and agricultural activities of the indigenous people of the hill areas are different from the economic and agricultural activities of Bangalee & plain land indigenous people. The economic activities of the indigenous people living in plain land areas are similar to that of the Bangla speaking people. It is unfortunate that the constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh does not recognize the existence of the indigenous people of Bangladesh although they fought shoulder to shoulder along with the Bangalee freedom fighters for the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. Many indigenous people embraced martyrdom and fell victims to the barbarious acts and atrocities of the Pakistani occupying force. One member of the constituent assembly of Bangladesh in 1972, elected from the CHTs, Martyred M.N. Larma demanded constitutional recognition of all the indigenous people living in both hill & plain areas of Bangladesh. But his demand for separate identities of the indigenous people was out voted in the constituent assembly and he was advised to live in Bangladesh as Bangalee. Thereby, the seeds of discontent, dissatisfactions and unhappiness among the indigenous people were sown.
The Bangalees have evolved from as amalgam of different racial groups over thousands of years-Dravidians, Aryans, Tibeto-Burmese and others. Most of the people of Bangladesh are Muslims constituting about 86 percent of the total population are not a homogenous community. They are divided into Sunnis, Shias, Ahmmadyya etc. seats. Hindus constitute 12.1 percent. The other religious minorities are Christians, Buddhists or Animists. Different indigenous communities constitute about 2 percent of the total population. Many contradict these figures and said the number of Non-Muslim would be about 25 percent.
The Hindus are the major religious minority in Bangladesh. They used to be a large proportion of the population. But many left during the partition of India in 1947 in the aftermath of Hindu-Muslim riots. Many Hindus left during the communal riots in Pakistan in 1964, the India-Pakistan war of 1965 and the liberation war of 1971. A large number of Hindu population was deprived of their right to land, properties, business, industries and other establishments following the enactment of ‘Enemy Property Act’ enacted during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. The same law is now known as ‘Vested Property Act’ of 1972 after the liberation of Bangladesh. Taking advantage of this black law, many Hindus are still being evicted from their land, homestead, property, business and industrial establishments. This black law was not annulled yet fully. So the vested interests exploit it with the help of the corrupt government officials. In 1947 the percentage of Hindu population in Bangladesh (East Pakistan) was about 30. In 1961, the Hindu population was approximately 20 percent. Now they are about 12.1 percent. These figures show a sharp decline in the percentage of Hindu population in Bangladesh.
Most Hindus are Bangalees (Bengali) by ethnic origin and language. Some indigenous groups are also Hindus. They follow religions beliefs and customs which have some affinity with Hinduism. Hindus live in almost all the 64 districts of Bangladesh. In some districts they are in large number. A large proportion of former feudal, semi feudal, land lords, business men, industrialists, teachers, professors, physicians, engineers, money lenders, civil & military bureaucrats, politicians & professionals were Hindus. But many of these people & professionals left for India following the political & communal upheavals of 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s etc.
The war of liberation of 1971 was fought unitedly by the Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and indigenous communities for a secular, democratic & socialist state. Accordingly, the constitution of the new Republic was framed. Though the constitution failed to recognise its indigenous people Bangladesh started its journey as a secular nation. But the military dictators General Ziaur Rahman & General Ershad fractured the constitution written with the martyred blood by erasing secularism and making Islam the state religion through the Fifth and Eighth constitutional amendments of 1979 & 1988 respectively. These changes in the constitution went against the interests of the indigenous people, minorities, the poor people and dream and spirit of the liberation war. It paved the way for the rise of Islamic extremism & fundamentalism in Bangladesh. The vested interests started oppressing, exploiting, abusing and repressing the Hindus compelling them to leave Bangladesh. As already told that the rise of Islamic fundamentalism & extremism also found roots in the amendments to the constitution made by General Ziaur Rahman & General Ershad. Silent & violent persecutions inflicted on the minorities since 1975 after the killing of the founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his 4 close associates forced the minorities to leave Bangladesh. The Hundus paid huge interms of life, land, business establishment, properties, chestities following the Babri Mosque issues in 1989 & its demolition in 1991. Hundreds & thousands of people of Hindu communities were made homeless, raped, tortured and had their properties destroyed, demolished & looted. Temples were demolished & many were set on fire by the thugs & Zealots of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and other Islamist extremists who want to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic State to be governed by Islamic rule (shaaria law). The cadres & leaders of the parties founded by the generals also were involved in the cleansing of the minorities on the pretext of the Babri Masjid demolition. The police, army, the border security forces & the bureaucracy side with the religious zealots in order to pave the way to establish a theocratic state. Many action groups such as Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhists, Christian Unity Councils & other human rights organisations monitored the atrocities & persecutions done on the minorities in Bangladesh over the last three decades. From the reports of those organisations, it revealed that the communal repression and violence in Bangladesh have assumed a deadly dimension specially after the general election of the Bangladesh parliament in 2001. Many houses belonging to the members of the minority communities have been set on fire, shops and businesses establishments have been looted, places of worship have been attacked and deities and shrines have been destroyed. Hundreds of incidents of rapes & killings have occured. As a result of these communal violence and repression, feelings of anxiety and insecurity have been created amongst the members of religious minorities.
6. The Indigenous People of Bangladesh:
In Bangla (Bengali) indigenous people are commonly known as ‘Adivasi’ (original inhabitant). The indigenous people of Bangladesh unanimously demanded to be introduced and known as ‘Adivasis’ not in any other names which are derogatory. In Bangladesh there are about 49 different indigenous communities living in the plain lands and hill areas. They are : 1. Garo, 2. Khiang, 3. Mro/Murong, 4. Bom, 5. Chakma, 6. Chak, 7. Pankhu/Pankhua, 8. Lusai, 9. Marma/Mog, 10. Tripura,11. Tonchonga, 12. Rakhain, 13. Khashia, 14. Monipuri, 15. Kuki, 16. Ushai, 17. Lauua, 18. Khumi, 19. Hajong, 20. Banai, 21. Koch, 22. Dalu, 23. Shantal, 24. Paharia, 25. Munda, 26. Mahato, 27. Shing, 28. Kharia, 29. Khondo, 30. Gorkha/Gurkha, 31. Pahan, 32. Rajuyar, 33. Mushar, 34. Hodi, 35. Palia, 36. Mikir, 37. Rai, 38. Bedia/Bede, 39. Bogdi, 40. Kol, 41. Rajbongshi, 42. Patro, 43. Muriar, 44. Turi, 45. Mahali, 46. Malo, 47. Khatria Barman, 48. Gondo, 49. Kachhari.
Since there were no ethnographical survey of the indigenous people of Bangladesh, it is very difficult to present an accurate count of their number. The indigenous people constitute roughly 2 percent of the total people of Bangladesh. They exist and live almost all over Bangladesh. According to the Government census, the total number of indigenous people were estimated to be 632,216. Of this, 43.7 percent were estimated to be Buddhist, 24.1 percent Hindu, 13.2 percent Christian and 19 percent classified as ‘other’. But this figure has been deliberately shown low in order to show the marginality of the indigenous people. Some claim that the number of both plain land & hill tracts indigenous people could be more than 2500,000. Many indigenous people can speak Bangla (Bengali) although they have their own language. Indigenous languages have assimilated many Bangla words in to their own language. The indigenous people who have been formally educated through the formal school systems can speak & write Bangla fluently. The indigenous people of Bangladesh belong to six linguistic categories: Aryan, Dravidian (Paharia and Oraon), Austro-Asiatic or Mon-Khmer including the khasi and Munda languages and Tibeto-Burmese including the Kubi-Chin and Bara languages. Bangla language and culture evolved in Bangladesh from pre-existing cultures and borrowed from east, west and north.
By ethnic origin, the indigenous people are Proto-Australoid and Mongoloid. By religion the indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts-CHT are mainly Buddhist. The Khasi and Mandi are Predominantly Christian. The other indigenous people have retained their original animism. The Hajong have affiliated with Hinduism while Rajbansi are either Hinduanized or have converted into Muslim. The most populous indigenous people in Bangladesh are the Santal, estimated to be more than 200,000 is number. The number of Chakma People has been estimate as approximately 200,000. The number of Marmas about 70,000 and Mandi 60,000. Again, these numbers do not give the actual figures of these major indigenous communities of Bangladesh. In order to ascertain actual number & socio-economic and political condition of the indigenous people of Bangladesh there is an urgent need for a thorough ethnographical survey in Bangladesh.
7. The Indigenous People of plain lands:
The indigenous people were originally people of the hills, mountains & forests. The Mandi migrated from the Himalayan foot hills of Meghalaya long ago when the plain were sparsely populated. The plain land indigenous people of Bangladesh are now dependent mainly on settled agriculture like other Bangalee Muslims & Hindus. They abandoned practices of slash and burn cultivation. The ‘Mandi’ meaning ‘the People’ who are also known as Garo, live in the north-central Bangladesh, east of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. The ‘Santal’ live in the north-west. According to Father R.W. Timm, these divisions are as significant as that between the indigenous people of CHTs and the indigenous people of the plain. The indigenous people are different from the Bangalee Muslims and Hindus ethnically, culturally, religiously and linguistically. The indigenous people are generally open, friendly, generous, simple and honest. A small number of indigenous people of the plain land areas live in the urban areas but maintain strong relationship with their ancestral lands in the rural areas.
Historically and traditionally the indigenous people have a love and respect for nature. They believe in the world of ‘spirits’ which exercise control over nature & their lives. Their original animism pervades their thoughts & feelings. Religion is not a personal phenomenon for them. They generally express their religious feelings in a communal way rather than an individual way. This religious practices intensify social solidarity the feeling of belonging to a specific cultural group. There is a deep interrelation between their religious belief and their social structure. The communal spirit is strong and according to their law and custom all land is the property of community. Public ceremonies celebrations & rites for the occasions of birth, marriage, death etc. reinforce their solidarity.
Mandi & khasi societies are matrilineal. The inheritances of property possess through daughters. For economic reasons and because losing lands in the villages, many indigenous people are coming to the towns, cities & semi urban areas for jobs & employment. The influence of Christianity & its modern education also are contributing to the migration of the indigenous people to city centres. A large number of them now work as domestic workers, care takers, sales-girls, beauticians, garments workers, nurse etc. in the urban areas. This mobility & migration of the indigenous people to the urban areas to earn their livelihood is also responsible for their vulnerability to various forms of oppressions, abuses and insecurities. In order to protect life & property of the indigenous people of the plain land areas a land commission should be established.
8. The Indigenous People of Chittagong Hill tracts-CHTs :
The Chittagong Hill Tracts covers about 10 percent of the total area of Bangladesh. It is home to about 13 different Indigenous communities. They are : 1. Chakmas 2. Marmas 3. Tripuras 4. Mros 5. Tanchangyas 6. Ryangs 7. Khumis 8. Chaks 9. Murungs 10. Khyangs 11. Bonjugis 12. Pankhus 13. Lushais.
Chakma, Marma and Tripura (Tippera) are about 90 percent. The Chakma form about half of hill tracts people. They are mostly Buddhists. They have their own language, their sacred Buddhist texts are also written in both in their own language and in Pali, the language of Buddhist scriptures. Their ancestors migrated from the Arakan Province of Burma long ago. Murma, also known by the derogatory name Mugh, originated from Arakan. They are also Buddhist. Some of them have animist belief. The Tripura are Hindus. The indigenous people of the Sajek Velly, the Pankho, the Bom, the Mizo, the Lusai were converted to Christianity by missionaries. The Mru, Sak and Khyang follow indigenous animist beliefs. The Tonchonga and the Brong are sub-groups of Chakma & Tripura. Most of the indigenous people of CHTs migrated into the area from the south between the 16th and 19th centuries. From the 17th century when Bangalee settlers arrived on the coast of Chittagong, they retreated further into the hills. The CHTs people remained less disturbed by British rule than the majority Bangalee Community. In 1860, the British established a superintendent to police the area. They recognised three indigenous chiefs as king from Khagrachhori, Bandarbon & Rangamati districts of CHTs representing three major indigenous hill people. The king used to collect taxes for the British and for themselves & ruled the CHTs people on behalf of the British Government. The CHTs Frontier Police Regulation of 1881 authorized a police force drawn from the hill people. The most important legislation was formulated by the British for the self-rule of CHTs was the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation of 1900. This Regulations delineated categories of land, notably khas (State Owned) land and specifically excluded non-hill people from settling in the hill areas.
After the partition of India in 1947, the Pakistani Government allowed Bangalee Muslims to move into the CHTs. For ulterior motives, hundreds & thousands of Muslims from the plain lands were allowed to migrate & settle in the CHTs. It caused strong resentment & discontent among CHTs indigenous people. The Muslims, with patronization of the Government occupied lands & forests of CHTs. They started controlling trades, commerce & business establishments causing serious threats to the lives, property, privacy and culture of the hill people. Consequently, many indigenous people left East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) for India. As a result, the growth of non-indigenous people in the hill tracts increased enormously. The military rule of General Ayub Khan which was promulgated in Pakistan in 1958, barred the non-hill people from settling in the CHTs. The special status of CHTs was also abolished by General Ayub Khan in 1964. The huge Kaptai Dam, built in the early 1960s for generating hydro-electricity for East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) submerged more than 40 percent of the crop & cultivable land of the hill tracts. It displaced and destituted more than 100,000 indigenous people. Many become internal refugees in the CHTs and many, more than 60,000 hill people were compelled to leave East Pakistan for India. They now live in the state of Arunachal of India and became homeless & landless refugees there. The Indian Government have not yet granted citizenship to these large number of environmental refugees. Bangladesh Government also does not want to bring them back. So, they are stateless refugees languishing in utter frustrations & destitution for about 45 years.
Establishment of the Karnafuli Paper Mills in Chandragona in Rangamati district in the early 60s also destroyed forests and displaced thousands of hill people. It did not provide employments to the hill people. Most of its labourers and employees were muslims, & brought from the plain lands. It also generated anger and resentment among the hill people.
The first ever general election of Pakistan under the military dictator General Yahahia Khan took place in 1970 after 24 years of the creation of Pakistan in 1947. In this election three indigenous candidates, two independent candidates for the provincial assembly and one indigenous candidate for the national assembly of Pakistan were elected. None of the candidates fielded by one of the most popular & largest political party of the then Pakistan, called Awami League-AL could not win any seats from the CHTs. Yet, in this election the Awami League-AL won a land slide victory both in the provincial & national assembly of Pakistan. But the military dictator and his allies, the civil-military bureaucrats, the feudal lords of Sindh Punjab, the Jamaat-e-Islami-JI, Muslim League-ML, Nezame-Islami-NI, People’s Party-PP etc. fundementlist & feudal parties of Pakistan could not respect the democratic verdict of the people. The Sindh & Punjabi Clique did not accept the results of the general election. Instead of handing over power to the victorious party i.e. AL, the Pakistani conspirators, enemy of democracy, human rights, peace & human dignity attempted to silence the dream of autonomy & independence of 75 million people of Bangladesh. The military cracked down on the unarmed people of East Pakistan (Bangladesh) on the fateful night of 25th of March 1971. They killed more the 30,000 unarmed innocent people including police, border security personnel, university professors, officers, employees, students and professionals in Dhaka alone. They torched thousands of houses and slums in Dhaka in a single night. It sparked resistance movement against the Pakistan army and led to the peoples, war which was participated by all 75 million people including indigenous people of hill tracts. Except for few collaborators, popularly known as razakars, al-badars, al-shams and members peace committees formed by the Pakistanis to capture & kill the freedom fighters, their associates and organizers, every one of Bangladesh valiantly fought in different form under different-banners against the Pakistanis. Victory was achieved on 16th December, 1971. Many indigenous people of CHTs also courageously fought together with the Bangalee Muslims, Hindus & Christians for liberation. Out of the three kings of the CHTs, one king known as Chakma Raja collaborated with the Pakistanis with insignificant number of his followers. Before the surrender of the Pakistani armies, he left East Pakistan (Bangladesh). He now lives in Pakistan under the patronization & blessings of the Pakistani rulers. His son, from his second wife, assumed position as the king of Chakma now in the hill district of Rangamati.
The New Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh-GOB, in 1972 also failed to restore the autonomy of the CHTs. Even the constitution of the new Republic failed to recognize constitutionally the existence of the indigenous people of the CHTs and plain lands, despite representations & petitions given to the GOB. Discontent and anger grew among the indigenous people of CHTs. The path of discussions & negotiations with the leaders of the CHTs for a peaceful solution to the problems was abandoned by the GOB.
In order to resist actions of the Govt. against the interest of the people of CHTs, ‘Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti-PCJSS’ was launched. In the meantime, after the assassination of the founding father Bangabandhu Sheik Mujibur Rahman on 15th August 1975, military ruler, general Ziaur Rahman came to power. During his military rule, he wanted to solve the problem of the CHTs militarily by force shunning the path of peace. In order to out number the CHTs people, he brought more than 500,000 Bagnalee Muslims from the plain lands of different districts of Bangladesh & settled them in the CHTs. General Zia helped Bangalee Muslims settlers, the military, the police, the border security forces-BDR, personnel of civil bureaucracy and powerful elites to occupy lands, forests & other resources of the CHTs. As a result more than 100,000 hill people fled to India to evade rape, torture, killings and various other oppressions. The PCJSS was acting as the united people’s party of the hill people. In order to resist military atrocities of General Ziaur Rahman, they also launched their military wing called ‘Shanti Bahani’ (Peace Force). Conflicts, clashes and guerrilla warfare escalated during General Zia’s rules. Two third of Bangladesh’s army was deployed in CHTs to suppress & silence their legitimate rights as citizen as well as indigenous people of Bangladesh. After the killing of General Ziaur Rahman in 1981, General Ershad came to power through a military coup. He also followed the foot steps of his mentor General Zia and wanted to crush & quieten the legitimate demands of the CHTs people. The military, the civil bureaucracy and the muslim settlers looted & plundered all resources of the hill areas, forests & hill people, They denuded & deforested all hills in the CHTs and drove away the hill people to border of India and Burma. At one stage of General Ershad regime, attempts were made to solve the problems of the hill peoples through dialogue & discussions. But he could not succeed for lack of political commitment, will & honesty. In 1991 Begum Khaleda Zia came to power through a general election ending the military rule of General Zia & General Ershad for about 15 years. She also did not take interest in solving the CHTs problem. General Zia, General Ershad & Begum Khaleda Zia wanted perpetuating military rule in the hill tracts controlling its resources & people to reap benefits from the presence of military in the hill tracts. During their rule, the whole areas of CHTs became a whole sale market for smuggling of narcotics, arms, explosives and human trafficking. Insurgents from the eastern states of India & Burma found CHTs as a shelter to carry out insurgent activities in India & Burma. Both military, civil administration and the Muslims settlers built their fortunes by having been posted or by settling there. They also occupied almost the entire lands, forests, market, municipalities and local government bodies of the CHTs. In 1947, the entire hill areas were inhabited by more than 98 percent hill people. Now their number went down to less than 50 percent. The indigenous people of CHTs are now a minority in their own lands.
After a long battle for about 25 years, 1975 to 1997 a congenial atmosphere was created by the Govt. (1996-2001) led by Awami League-AL president Sheikh Hasina (Now opposition leader) to find out means for peaceful solutions to the CHTs problems. From 1985 to 1997, 26 meetings took place between the military Govt. of Ershed & Civil Govt. of Shiekh Hasina. Finally, the Govt. of AL headed by Sheikh Hasina signed the peace treaty with PCJSS on 2nd December 1997. All democratic, secular, political parties, people & professional bodies and the indigenous people of Bangladesh hailed the treaty. The treaty was also acclaimed & appreciated by global communities. Unfortunately, the implementation of the treaty was not completed by the Govt. of Sheikh Hasina during her tenure partly due to her Govt.s lack of commitment. The then opposition leader, now prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia & other fundamentalist forces of Bangladesh vehemently opposed the signing of the Peace treaty by agitating common people and taking advantage of their political ignorance.
The Present coalition Govt. (2001-2006) of Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami-JI and other rightist & fundamentalist parties led by Begum Khaleda Zia is not at all committed to solve the CHTs problem by implementing the Peace Treaty. This Govt. is engaged in executing its designed programmes in the hill tracks completely ignoring the provisions of Peace treaty which further discriminated & dispossessed the hill people. The hill people are frustrated and the Secular & democratic forces of Bangladesh are dismayed with the anti-peace treaty activities conducted by the present Govt. The right to land & livelihoods of the indigenous people are being snatched away, their forests & land for cultivation are being occupied by the settlers with the support of the military & civil administration in the hill tracts. Incidences of human rights violations of the hill people are taking place everyday including abduction & molesting of girls & women. Buddhist & Hindu Temples and Christian Churches are being destroyed & damaged by Muslim settlers. The law enforcing agencies hardly take action against these intruders. Rather, they encourage these forces to grab lands & resources of the hill people. Law enforcing agencies and administration both civil and military work for the protection of Muslim of settlers. The Coalition Govt., law enforcers & settlers do not believe in democracy, human rights, rule of law and peace. The derogatory comments of the Deputy Commissioner-DC, head of civil administration of Khagrachhari district of CHTs in his booklet titled, ‘Khagrachhori 2001-2005’ published recently ignited discontent & displeasure among the hill people. In his booklet he termed the indigenous people as intruders, anti-Bangalees and uncivilized Jungle people. The D.C. also mentioned that CHTs peace accord is controversial and PCJS is engaged in killing, abduction and extortion. Parbatya Chattagram Janasanghati Samity-PCJS, United People’s Democratic Front-UPDF and different other organisations of hill people protested the publication of the booklet and demanded ban & confiscation of all its copies. They claimed that the activities of the DC were communal and the publication of the booklet was politically motivated. They demanded his immediate with drawl from Khagrachari.
Ensuing peace harmony and protection of the rights of the indigenous people in CHTs depends on the full execution of the Peace Treaty. There is no alternative to it. Peace Treaty is an invaluable document which came into existence with the sacrifice of the live of many indigenous people & Bangalees including the personnel of the armed forces. police, BDR & others. Therefore, all must respect it & uphold the international conventions that protect the rights of indigenous people.
9. Discrimination against indigenous people:
The attitude of Bangalee towards the indigenous people is negative. They think that the indigenous people’s religion and cultural are inferior. They are seen by the Bangalees as migrating people having no permanent habitat. The indigenous people of the north-west of Bangladesh are the ‘Santal’. Majority of them are landless, illiterate and poor. Hence, Bangalees regard them as socially inferior. Forests lands which provide a means for earning their living are now being occupied by the influential corrupt Bangalee muslims. In the name of rubber plantation, social afforestration, agro-forestry, fruits & vegetable cultivation’s, building eco-parks, ecotourism, agro-industries etc., their land and properties are being grabbed by the Bangalee Muslim land grabbing Mafia’s & pirates and thereby the indigenous people are made destitute. They are refused basic survival requirements in the rural & urban areas. Sometimes the poor indigenous people are not allowed to have food, take tea, breakfast etc. in the hotels & restaurants. Indigenous people are easily evicted from their ancestral land by the Bangalee muslims by making false and fabricated documents in connection with the land related & law enforcing agencies. They face discriminations from all quarters because they are indigenous people & minorities in Bangladesh. Courts, police, administration, local govt. representatives, land officials, service sectors all are biased against them. Usually the indigenous people do not dare to lodge complaints about atrocities, oppressions & abuses done to them by the muslims because of fear and facing human rights violation further. If they protest against oppressions and lodge cases in the courts they have to pay for their lives and they are forced to leave Bangladesh. The daily news papers carry news items of such inhuman incidents on the minorities & indigenous people. In the face of brutalities of the muscle men, oppressions by the police, military, para-military personnel & non-cooperation from the judiciary and administrative systems, hundreds and thousands of indigenous people & others minorities are compelled to leave Bangladesh.
On the other hand the Govt. of Bangladesh does not recognize the existence of indigenous and minority people in Bangladesh. The Govt. often says, “In Bangladesh, nobody is minority & no body is majority, all are equal”. But unfortunately GOB adopted policies to discriminate, exclude, disintegrate & dispossess the minority & indigenous people. The change in the constitution of Bangladesh of 1972 through 5th & 8th amendments curtailed the rights of the indigenous and minority people. These changes made them second class citizen, disregarded & violated all international documents, covenants, treatise and treaties of the UN & other international organisations where Bangladesh is a signatory. Govt. of Bangladesh also does not celebrate the international day for indigenous people and do not take part in celebrating the indigenous people decades 1994-2004 and 2005- 2014 announced by the UN.
The present coalition government led by Begum Khaleda Zia of BNP, a rightist party and Matiur Rahman Nizami of JI, an Islamic fundamentalist party has been successfully cleansing the minorities and the indigenous people of Bangladesh. It is also successful in extending corruption to every sectors & every nook and corner of Bangladesh. It strengthened the activities of the Islamic fundamentalists and enriched them financially as well. It is known to all that the forces of fanaticism and extremism are very active in Bangladesh having their regional & global networks & connections to turn Bangladesh into a theocratic state. The indigenous people, the minorities, democratic political parties & professionals who opposed govt. unbridled corruption, oppressions, misrule and injustices faced severe consequences including abductions, custodial deaths, tortures & severe human rights violations. Many were killed, crippled & raped by the forces of the coalition govt. Even the journalists from home and abroad who raised their voices against human rights violation of the minorities were not spared. Through misrule & misgovernance, this govt. let loose its reign of terror on the minorities & indigenous people. So, their life and property are not safe & secure. Even the poor & disadvantaged muslim community became victims to the misrule and mal-governance of the coalition govt. The martyred intellectual and litterateur Prof. Humayun Azad of Bangla Department of Dhaka University in his article, ‘Living in Bangladesh’ said “The present government has been successful in cleansing the Hindus, the present government has been successful in extending corruption, the present government has been successful in making rape a cultural activity, and the present government has been successful in abducting, murdering & other fearful activities”. The secular & democratic forces and peace loving people of Bangladesh can not contradict with Prof. Humayun Azad.
The indigenous people and the minorities of Bangladesh struggle for survival every moment & everyday. These people have glorious past, rich history, culture & civilization. Unfortunately, they do not have ‘present’ and ‘future’. They pass their daily life through insecurity, uncertainty & agonies. They have been groaning in discontent. The rights of indigenous people and minorities to land, forest & future have been taken away by the ruling elites and their allies spreading over the capital down to the remote village at the foot of the hills. They face severe discriminations and violence from everywhere i.e. polices, courts, administrations & majority community. The govt. failed utterly to ensure justice & rule of law for them. Ownership & access to land & forest is a life and death issue for the indigenous people & the minority in Bangladesh. In order to ensure means of livelihood for the minority and indigenous people, the govt. & the majority muslims community must stop stealing and grabbing their lands & forests. To stop stealing and grabbing land and to give back grabbed land to the indigenous people & minority, a separate ministry for the indigenous and minority people should be formed. A land commission for protecting the lands & forests of the indigenous people in the plain lands should be formed. The land commission of CHTs should be activated to perform its responsibilities according to the Peach Treaty.
In order to protect & promote the rights and dignities of the indigenous people and minorities of Bangladesh, all must abide by the constitution and other international covenants & conventions. The constitution of Bangladesh, the covenants & conventions determined roles & responsibilities for different actors at national, regional and global levels who are entrusted with upholding rule of law, justice and equality. The govt. of Bangladesh must enforce its constitutional obligations for all its people without discrimination. Article 27 of the constitution of Bangladesh is, “All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law”. Article 28 (1) says, “The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth”. (2) Women shall have equal rights with men in all spheres of the State and of Public life”. (3) “No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth be subjected to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to access to any place of public entertainment or resort, or admission to any educational institution”. (4) “Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making special provision in favour of women or children or for the advancement of any backward section of citizens”. Article 29 (1) says, “There shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens in respect of employment or office in the service of the Republic”. (2) “No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, be ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect of, any employment or office in the service of Republic”.
Unfortunately, the Governments failed utterly to respect the constitution of the republic and perform according to its provisions in protecting the rights of the indigenous people and minorities. The Government also do not have regards and respect for international conventions and covenants to which it is a signatory. It does not follow and enforce them in running the state apparatus. Article 27 of the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights says, “In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic, minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language”.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in its Article 30 says, “In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities or persons of indigenous origin exist, a child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practice his or her own religion, or to use his or her own language”.
There are other international conventions and covenants i.e. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination, Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against women-CEDAW, ILO conventions and many other innumerable conventions where Bangladesh is a signatory. So, it must enforce those for protection of the rights of its people as well as the people of different faiths including minorities. The regional and international bodies of the UN & its organs have also bigger role to play in the enforcement of these conventions at state, regional & global levels. They must device, design & develop monitoring tools & instruments to assess and evaluate performances of the member state in the areas of human rights violations. This monitoring process must include the minorities and the indigenous peoples as issues of the minorities & indigenous people have regional and global implications.
Moreover, the golden rule of life found in all major religions should be practiced in order to build this world peaceful and livable. In Islam, golden rule is expressed in the following manner; “No one of you is a believer until you desire for your neighbour that which you desire for yourself”. Buddhism asks us to, “Treat all creatures as you would like to be treated”. Hinduism reiterates, “This is the essence of morality: Do not do to others which if done to you would cause you pain. “In Christianity it is said that. “Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do so to them”. Sikhism advises us, “Do as you desire goodness for yourself as you can not expect tasty fruits if you sow thorny trees“. Judaism puts it plainly, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour – that is the basic law, all the rest is commentary“. In Bahai Faith it is stated, “If your eyes be turned towards justice, choose for your neighbour that which you could choose for yourself”.
So, all must preach and practice according to their beliefs & faiths for the achievement of durable & sustainable peace and progress.
Reference
1. Amnesty International, Unlawful killings and Torture in Chittagong Hill Tracts, London, 1986.
2. Prof. Barakat Abul, The Status of Poverty in Bangladesh, Published in the Bangladesh Observer on 31.01.2001.
3. Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, Published & Unpublished Documents of the Council.
4. Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission Report, Life is not ours : Land and Human Rights in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, London, 1991.
5. Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
6. The Daily Star, Publication of ‘Khagrachhari 2001-2005’, Published on 08.06.2006.
7. The Economist, ‘Inequality and the American Dream’, Published on 17.06.2006.
8. Haque Md. Aynal, History and Life Style of Tribes, 1994.
9. Proceedings of the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh, Volume-2, Number-3, Saturday 14.10.1972.
10. The Daily Shamakal, Editorial, Published on 8.1.2006.
11. Father Timm R. W., The Adivasis of Bangladesh, Published in 1991.
12. UN publications.
Main Source : http://xoomer.virgilio.it/bguizzi/bangladesh/englishbdedu/rights.htm
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