Dhaka, Aug 09: More than 2,000 indigenous people from across Bangladesh rallied today in the capital Dhaka to demand equal rights and an end to encroaching development on their lands.
Wearing traditional colourful dresses and head gear,
the demonstrators chanted slogans and sang, in an allusion to
the US civil rights movement, "We shall overcome".
The protest was held at a memorial dedicated to those
who died when another protest for ethnic rights was brutally
crushed in 1952. Then, protesters called for the use of
Bengali, Bangladesh's national language, in what was then
part of Pakistan.
Most of the 77 tribes live in the rugged east of
Bangladesh, bordering Myanmar and far-eastern India.
Tribespeople estimate their population at around two
million in the country of 130 million people.
Jyotirindrio Bodhopriya Larma, a former rebel leader
of the Chakma tribe who heads the Bangladeshi Adibashi Forum,
which brings together indigenous people, called for an end to
encroachment on their land.
"People are illegally taking away our land in the
name of development and this must stop," Larma told the rally.
Speakers also called for security for indigenous
women, alleging they are frequently harassed by security
personnel or other non-tribal people. A number of women came
out for the rally, some carrying babies, despite the sultry
weather.
Bureau Report
