Bangladesh: Interim government must ensure accountability for violence against peaceful protesters advocating for Indigenous people’s rights
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and Front Line Defenders (FLD) strongly condemn the brutal assault on Indigenous student human rights defenders and their supporters who were peacefully protesting against the removal of the word “Adivasi” (Indigenous in English) from school textbooks in Bangladesh.
“FORUM-ASIA urges the interim government to uphold its commitment to inclusivity and respect the rights of Indigenous people. Immediate actions must be taken to hold perpetrators accountable and to implement robust mechanisms to prevent such discriminatory attacks against Indigenous communities,” said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.
“The interim government of Bangladesh came to power on the strength of mass protests led by student human rights defenders. The interim government has a responsibility to respect and protect their invaluable work. It should guarantee that defenders can freely and safely carry out their legitimate human rights activities under all circumstances,” said Sarah de Roure, Head of Protection of Front Line Defenders.
What happened
On 12 January 2025, Bangladesh’s National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) removed graffiti from Grade 9 and 10 Bengali textbooks that depicted the word “Adivasi” from its Grade 9 and 10 Bengali textbooks. The graffiti depicted the term “Adivasi” alongside “Hindu,” “Muslim,” “Christian,” and “Buddhist” as five leaves of a tree, symbolising unity in diversity.
The removal followed protests by the group “Students for Sovereignty,” which argued that recognizing Indigenous identity undermines Bangladesh’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Group coordinator Ziaul Haque Zia defended the removal of “Adivasi,” alleging the recognition of small ethnic groups constitutes part of a broader agenda to establish a separate state, which they strongly oppose. In response, on 15 January, Indigenous students–under the banner “Aggrieved Indigenous Student-Masses”– peacefully protested the said removal outside the NCTB office, arguing that the denial of their Indigenous identity contradicts Bangladesh’s multi-ethnic democratic values. The protestors peacefully demanded to revert the textbook design and constitutional protections for Indigenous people’s identity, history, and culture.
Violence broke out when members of the “Students for Sovereignty” attacked the peaceful protestors with wooden sticks and cricket stumps, chanting inflammatory rhetoric and also targeting Indigenous women protesters. Among the severely injured was woman human rights defender Rupaiya Shrestha Tanchangya, a student leader from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement– the group that led the July 2024 mass uprising in Bangladesh. Journalist Jewel Marak and Indigenous human rights defender Don Jetra also sustained injuries.
On 16 January, peaceful protestors demanding justice for the attacks faced excessive force by the police, including the use of water cannon, sound grenades, and batons. At least 20 people were reportedly hurt, with three individuals sustaining serious injuries. While two attackers have been arrested, many remain at large, raising concerns about the neutrality and effectiveness of Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies.
Call to action
The violent suppression of peaceful protests reflects a recurring pattern that Bangladesh’s interim government must decisively break. Such actions undermine fundamental freedoms enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Bangladesh is a state party, and Articles 27, 37, and 39 of the Bangladesh Constitution, which guarantee equal treatment, the right to peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression, respectively.
FORUM-ASIA and Front Line Defenders strongly urge the interim government to take immediate action against all perpetrators of violence, including the police’s use of excessive force and their failure to protect the peaceful protesters and human rights defenders.
The interim government must also safeguard the rights, identity, and dignity of Indigenous communities in Bangladesh–including by ratifying the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples–and fulfil its obligations to protect their fundamental rights.
Lastly, failure to act at this critical juncture risks entrenching the same patterns of repression that the people of Bangladesh rose against in 2024. We remind the interim government that its legitimacy hinges on its commitment to upholding human rights obligations and ensuring the protection of the fundamental rights of all its citizens.
About FORUM-ASIA:
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is a network of 87 member organisations across 23 countries, mainly in Asia. Founded in 1991, FORUM-ASIA works to strengthen movements for human rights and sustainable development through research, advocacy, capacity development and solidarity actions in Asia and beyond. It has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and consultative relationship with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. The FORUM-ASIA Secretariat is based in Bangkok, with offices in Jakarta, Geneva and Kathmandu.
About Front Line Defenders:
Front Line Defenders (FLD) is an international human rights organisation founded in Dublin in 2001, with the specific aim of protecting human rights defenders (HRDs) at risk. FLD works to improve the security and protection of human rights defenders and organisations around the world at risk for their peaceful and legitimate human rights work. As identified by human rights defenders themselves, FLD responds to protection and security needs by providing support through grants, capacity building, visibility, networking, and advocacy, at the international, regional and local levels. Front Line Defenders has been awarded the 2018 United Nations Human Rights Prize.