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Remove the word “Indigenous”: NCTB Aboriginal groups under attack; 20 harmed

Date:

Dhaka – An indigenous group and its supporters were attacked yesterday, injuring at least 20 people, as they protested against the removal of graffiti bearing the word “aboriginal” (Bengali: adivasi) in textbooks.

The attack was allegedly carried out by a group calling itself “Sovereign Students” in front of the offices of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board in Motiheel.

When the attack occurred, some Aboriginal people and their supporters went to the NCTB office to hold scheduled activities under the banner of “victimized Aboriginal students”.

The injured include Rupaiya Shrestha Tanchangya, 24, a core leader of the Students Anti-Discrimination Platform; Isaba Surat, 25; Rengiyong Mro, 27; Tang Jietra; Futonto Chakma , 22; Dano Gatra, 28; Anonto Dhamay, 35; DBC reporter Jewel Marak, 35; Shirley, 27; Donoy Moro, 24; Thani Chirang, 30; Tony Chiran; Rakhi Nayab et al.

Rupaya, Tang and Jewell, who were seriously injured, were sent from Dhaka Medical College Hospital to Bangladesh Specialist Hospital for further treatment.

Rupaya needed 12 stitches on her head and Don's arms were broken in the attack.

Video from the scene showed Rupaya lying on the ground with profuse bleeding from her head as the attackers surrounded her and beat her repeatedly with cricket stumps and sticks.

Witnesses said Tang was injured while trying to protect her from the attack.

The Aboriginal group first announced their event would be held at the NCTB offices.

In response, the Sovereign Student Organization also decided to besiege the office at the same time.

How did this happen?

According to eyewitnesses, the indigenous group went to the National Tuberculosis Control Agency office around noon.

Meanwhile, members of the Students for Sovereignty group had taken up positions in front of the office, carrying cricket stumps with national flags tied to them. On one occasion, they suddenly attacked an Aboriginal group, injuring a dozen people.

Rahee Nayab, one of the injured, claimed the attackers chanted slogans such as “Tumi ke, ami ke?” Bangalee, Bangalee” (Who are you, who am I? Bangalee, Bangalee) and “Naraye Takbeer, Allahu Akbar” during the attack.

Shea, another injured person, said the attackers particularly targeted women.

Witnesses corroborated the accounts and said the violence could have been avoided if law enforcement had acted decisively.

Alik Mree, one of the aggrieved Aboriginal student mass organizers, claimed, “We were leading a peaceful march when Students for Sovereignty attacked us in front of the police.”

Yakub Majumder, co-convener of Students for Sovereignty, denied the accusations. “We were inside the NCTB office when the incident took place. When we came out, we found that our activist was injured. We immediately defused the situation,” he claimed.

However, journalist Shahadat Hossain Kifat, who was present, said, “They put bandages on their bare heads and put vitamin Iodine (ointment) on them to make it look like Blood.

When asked, Yacoub denied the accusations.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Motijheel Division) Md Shahriar Ali said law enforcement officials at the scene intervened when one group suddenly attacked another group.

Motijheel police station sub-inspector Alimul Islam told The Daily Star last night that the two have been detained for questioning. They are now being questioned.

He said that no case has been filed yet.

Meanwhile, an aggrieved crowd of indigenous students announced that they would lay siege to the Jamuna State Guest House, the official residence of Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus, tomorrow to protest against the attack.

Who are the “Students for Sovereignty”

The group was established on August 28, 2024.

In their Facebook bio, it reads: “Student Sovereignty, a popular platform for Dhaka University students, is dedicated to safeguarding national sovereignty. InshaAllah!

On the same day, they organized a protest rally in response to a speech by Chief Counsel Muhammad Yunus in which he used the word “indigenous” to refer to indigenous communities.

The organization claims that indigenous communities should be called “Upojati” and “Khudro Nrigoshti” (small ethnic communities).

On September 20, they held a rally at Dhaka University to demand an increase in the number of military camps in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and the deletion of the “unconstitutional parts” of the CHT Peace Treaty.

During a demonstration on September 24 last year, they called for the abolition of the “Upojati quota”, a reservation system for Aboriginal students to take the college entrance examination.

The group has also organized protests on various issues – demanding lifting of travel restrictions to St. Maarten, justice for the killing of a Muslim lawyer in a Chittagong court, death penalty and dismissal of a DU teacher for alleged blasphemy, protection of hijab and veil rights, stop BSF forces killing Bangladeshis and oppose the “culture of communal living”.

Most recently, the word “Indigenous” was removed from the cover of textbooks for Grades 9 and 10 after the group demonstrated in front of the NCTB.

It is known that the leader of the group is Md Ziaul Haque, a former student of DU. At least two Jatiya Nagorik Council leaders and several other leaders claimed that he had family ties with a leader of the Awami League's Shariatpur unit.

Meanwhile, the names of two other DU outfits – 'Parbatya Chattogram Chhatra Sangsad' and 'Parbattya Chattogram Chhatra Parishad' – came to the fore after yesterday's attack.

These reporters obtained screenshots of the “Parbatya Chattogram Chhatra Sangsad” page, which promoted the siege of the NCTB office by “students fighting for sovereignty”.

An hour before the attack, the group shared a livestream on Facebook that showed several people holding cricket stumps and national flags taking up positions in front of the NCTB offices.

All of these posts were deleted after the attack.

In a previous post, the PCCS claimed that recognizing the minority communities in the CHT as “indigenous people” would lead to the separation of the CHT from Bangladesh.

It is noteworthy that Md Abu Shadik, the former president of the DU faction of Chhatra Shibir, was also the former president of the “Parbatya Chattogram Chhatra Sangsad” before revealing his relationship with Shibir.

Similarly, SM Farhad, the current president of DU Shibir wing, had previously held leadership positions in the 'Parbatya Chattogram Chhatra Sangsad'.

These associations have led many to claim that Shibir activists are running both organizations.

Chhatra League DU wing president Armanul Hoque said after the attack, “Shibir attacked students today under the guise of 'students fighting for sovereignty'.”

Sadik denied the accusations against Shibir in a Facebook post.

“We demand immediate punishment of the attackers,” he added.

On the other hand, Shahadat Farazi Sakib, leader of Dhanmondi faction of Nagorik Council, is the founding president of Parbattya Chattogram Chhatra Parishad.

On Tuesday, he shared the NCTB siege program “Students for Sovereignty” on his Facebook wall and urged his followers to join.

Many victims said he was present when the attacks took place.

The Daily Star was unable to contact him as his mobile phone was switched off.

However, he posted on Facebook, “When we were protesting against the inclusion of the controversial anti-national word 'aboriginal' in textbooks, Upojati miscreants and left-wingers attacked us, injuring at least 14 ordinary students. Among them Some people have been taken to Pan Pacific Hospital in critical condition.

Jatiya Nagorik Committee spokesperson Samanta Shermeen said in an interview: “We have received allegations against Sakib. We will form a body of detectors. If the allegations are true, we will take necessary actions as per the protocol.

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