Bangladesh’s systematic denial of indigenous rights: marginalization and erasure

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

The deliberate exclusion of the term “indigenous” from Bangladesh’s official discourse is emblematic of a broader strategy to marginalize ethnic communities and deny their rights.

From textbook revisions to silencing protests, the state’s refusal to recognize indigenous peoples reflects an entrenched effort to erase their identity, undermine their heritage, and perpetuate systemic inequality.

At the core of this controversy lies the government’s long-standing position that the ethnic communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and other regions do not qualify as indigenous.

Instead, they are officially classified as “small ethnic groups”, a euphemism designed to obscure their ancestral ties to the land.

This semantic evasion is not merely an issue of terminology—it is a calculated attempt to strip these communities of their historical legitimacy and deny them access to international legal protections.

The Bangladesh government’s rejection of the term “indigenous” is rooted in a deliberate political agenda.

Over the years, state officials have aggressively resisted the use of the term, framing it as a threat to national unity and sovereignty.

For instance, during International Indigenous Peoples Day, the government routinely issued directives to media outlets prohibiting the use of “indigenous,” effectively censoring public discourse on the issue.

This policy of denial reached its zenith in 2011 when the then Foreign Minister, Dipu Moni, publicly urged foreign diplomats to refrain from referring to the CHT communities as indigenous.

Her rationale was alarmingly reductive: only Bengalis could be considered the “original” inhabitants of Bangladesh.

Such assertions serve a dual purpose: they delegitimize the indigenous peoples’ claims to land and identity while reinforcing a hegemonic narrative that centralizes Bengali supremacy.

The state’s refusal to recognize indigenous communities also has practical implications.

By rejecting the designation, Bangladesh evades the obligations outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which it abstained from endorsing in 2007.

This landmark declaration enshrines a range of indigenous rights, including land restitution, protection against forced displacement, and the cessation of military activities on indigenous territories.

In the CHT, where militarization is pervasive and land grabbing rampant, acknowledging indigenous rights would demand a fundamental shift in governance.

For the state, such recognition poses a threat to its control over these regions, prompting the adoption of a policy of denial to maintain the status quo.

The refusal to recognize indigenous communities is not just a matter of semantics—it is a mechanism of dispossession.

By denying their status, the state systematically excludes these communities from accessing constitutional and international protections.

This exclusion has facilitated decades of human rights violations, from land confiscation to violent evictions.

Recent attacks on indigenous students and activists protesting textbook censorship are stark reminders of the perils faced by these communities.

The government perpetuates harmful stereotypes, reducing indigenous peoples to relics of the past while ignoring their vibrant cultural identities and contributions.

The refusal to acknowledge their distinctiveness not only diminishes their dignity but also erodes the nation’s pluralistic heritage.

The indigenous peoples of Bangladesh are fighting for more than recognition—they are fighting for their survival.

Their demand for acknowledgment is rooted in centuries of history, language, and culture that transcend the boundaries of the modern state.

By refusing to recognize their rightful identity, the government undermines the very principles of justice and equality enshrined in its constitution.

As global awareness of indigenous struggles grows, Bangladesh’s denial policy faces the looming threat of international condemnation.

Civil society, both within and beyond Bangladesh, must amplify the voices of these communities and hold the government accountable for its actions.

Recognition is not a concession—it is a moral and legal imperative.

For Bangladesh to progress as a truly inclusive nation, it must embrace its diverse identities and honor the rights of all its people.