Hill Voice, January 13, 2025, Rangamati: On January 12, 2025, the National Curriculum Textbook Board (NCTB) removed the graffiti containing the words ‘Indigenous peoples’ from the online version of the Bengali 2nd Paper textbooks for grades 9 and 10. This decision was made following demands from members of ultra-communal and fundamentalist group called ‘Students for Sovereignty’.
In response to the decision, the Central Committee of the Parbattya Chattagram Pahari Chattra Parishad (PCP) and the Hill Women’s Federation (HWF) issued a press release on January 13, condemning and protesting this action.
The press release states that the extremist communal groups have long been working to erase the identity of over 50 indigenous communities in Bangladesh. Despite strong opposition from the indigenous population, the ousted Awami League government through the 15th Amendment to the Constitution had referred to indigenous people as ‘tribes, minor races, ethnic sects and communities’ and had issued directives at various times to avoid using the term ‘Indigenous peoples’.
The indigenous communities have hoped that the new ruling government of Bangladesh, following the July popular uprising, would cancel the communal decision of the ousted Awami League government and take appropriate steps to ensure the participation of indigenous peoples in all areas of the state, including presenting their correct history and identity through dialogue with them.”
However, the PCP and HWF believe that despite the new government’s promises of creating a non-discriminatory, secular and inclusive Bangladesh, these commitments have not been adequately reflected in the government’s actions concerning the overall development of indigenous peoples in the hills and plains.
PCP and HWF feel that the disapproval of indigenous people in the path of building a non-discriminatory Bangladesh after the July Uprising is against the spirit of the July Uprising. By using the Constitution as an excuse and removing the graffiti containing the word ‘Indigenous people’ from the textbooks, the NCTB has compromised with the extremist and fundamentalist groups.
It is not possible to build a multi-ethnic, non-discriminatory and democratic Bangladesh by denying the self-identity of more than 50 indigenous peoples of the country. Therefore, the PCP and HWF urgently call on the interim government to restore the removed graffiti containing ‘Indigenous people’ words in the grade 9 and 10 textbooks, present the correct history and identity of indigenous peoples in the textbooks and take necessary constitutional measures to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples.
