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Published : 18 Jan 2025, 01:37 AM
The Chattogram Hill Tracts Commission has condemned the attack on indigenous students protesting the removal of images featuring the word “Adivasi” – a collective term for a number of ethnic minority groups in the country – from textbooks.
The incident occurred as they were en route to the Secretariat, where they were met with water cannons and batons.
In a statement issued on Friday, the commission demanded swift justice for the incident and proper treatment for the injured students.
The statement also called for holding the attackers accountable, saying: "The commission believes that the attack on indigenous students is not an isolated incident. It is part of a 'culture of impunity,' which is fostering the rise of extremist fundamentalists in the country. The CHT Commission had previously warned the interim government that failure to take appropriate action could have dire consequences for the indigenous community."
"This extremist force aims to destabilise the government and the secular fabric of Bangladesh," the statement continued.
It further said that the same extremist group, operating under the banner of Students for Sovereignty, had protested during Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus's speech to the nation on Aug 25.
Yunus had used the term “Adivasi” in his address, which they deemed “anti-state,” demanding either an apology or his resignation.
The controversy began when a picture that used the term “Adivasi” on the back cover of the Bengali grammar and composition textbook for ninth and tenth graders was removed from its online edition. The artwork depicted a tree with five leaves, each inscribed with a term for a religious or ethnic community in Bangladesh - Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, and “Adivasi”. “Tearing leaves is prohibited” was written next to the picture.
Following protests by Dhaka University students under the Students for Sovereignty banner on Jan 12, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, or NCTB, removed the artwork that night.
In response, a group named Agitated Adivasi Students called for a siege of the NCTB building at 11am on Wednesday.
Students for Sovereignty also announced a siege at the same time.
During the protest, ethnic minority students were beaten with batons.
Protests continued on Thursday as “Adivasi” students, under the Agitated Adivasi Students banner, marched towards the home ministry.
Police blocked them outside the Shikkha Bhaban, and when the students tried to push forward, they were dispersed with water cannons and batons.
The CHT Commission's statement noted, "Since independence, numerous human rights violations have occurred in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. This is the first time indigenous students in the capital have faced such a brutal attack."
The commission welcomed the chief advisor's condemnation of the attack and his promise to take action against those responsible, urging the government to take swift and stern measures.
