Bangladesh: Adivasi Protesters Brutally Assaulted In Dhaka Over Removal of ‘Adivasi’ Term From Textbooks

The members of indigenous community ‘adivasis’ in Bangladesh, protesting peacefully for the recognition of their identity in school textbooks, were brutally assaulted in Dhaka on January 15, 2025.

The protest was organized by the group Aggrieved Indigenous Student-Masses outside the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) office in Motijheel, following the removal of the word “Adivasi” (meaning indigenous) from the syllabof 9th and 10th-grade Bangla textbooks.

The indigenous group, accompanied by activists, marched to the NCTB office to voice their protest. However, they were met with violent resistance from members of a group called Students for Sovereignty, who support the removal of the term. Armed with cricket stumps and sticks, these assailants launched an unprovoked attack on the indigenous protesters, chanting slogans like “Tumi ke, ami ke? Bangalee, Bangalee” (Who are you, who am I? Bengali, Bengali) and “Naraye Takbeer, Allahu Akbar.”

The Attack

According to eyewitnesses, the attackers, who were masked and some in the garb of peaceful protesters, specifically targeted indigenous women. Rupaiya Shrestha Tanchangya, one of the student leaders of the Students Against Discrimination platform, suffered severe head injuries that needed 12 stitches. Don Jetra, another protester, sustained fractures in both arms as she tried to shield herself. At least 20 people, including journalists reporting on the protest, were injured.

Rupaiya was found bleeding severely in videofootage,e with several attackers hitting her repeatedly. Witnesses blame law enforcement for their actions or inactions, saying that the violence would have been avoided had police acted accordingly.

The term “Adivasi” holds a great significance for the indigenous communities of Bangladesh, as it is seen as an essential indicator of their identity and heritage. The erasure of this term from textbooks came after protests by Students for Sovereignty, a group established in 2024 and allegedly linked to extremist factions. According to them, the use of the term “Adivasi” is detrimental to national sovereignty and separatism.

The Students for Sovereignty have advocated the renaming of indigenous peoples as “Upojati” (sub-tribes) or “Khudro Nrigoshti” (small ethnic groups), which most of them have protested against, and claim that “Adivasi” is seditious in nature as it gives an impression that the indigenous people were original to Bangladesh.

Aggrieved Indigenous Student-Masses condemned the attack as a blatant attempt to suppress their voices and erase their cultural identity.

“This was a peaceful protest until we were attacked,” said Alik Mree, one of the organizers. Activists also criticized the police for failing to protect the protesters despite their presence at the scene.

On the other hand, Students for Sovereignty leader Yaqub Mazumder denied responsibility, claiming their members were injured first. However, journalists present at the scene contradicted this, alleging that the group staged injuries to distort the narrative.

This Students for Sovereignty group has been accused of links with radical factions, even claims of having connections with the Islamic Chhatra Shibir and other similar groups. The critics claim that the acts are part of a greater effort to suppress minority voices and enforce a uniform national identity.

But what the violence did was draw people’s attention toward the role of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus for allegedly allowing the very groups they’re accused of supporting by neglecting the minority rights. Rights and Risks Analysis Group’s Tejang Chakma has already urged the United Nations and the international diplomatic community to address the issue.

Indigenous groups have announced protests in the wake of the attack, including laying siege to the state guest house, Jamuna, where Chief Adviser Yunus resides. The protesters are seeking accountability for those who carried out the attack as well as re-instatement of the term “Adivasi” in school textbooks.

In Bangladesh, the ethnic minorities are increasingly getting marginalized, with attacks on Hindus and Buddhists.

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