Imagine your home, your land, and your heritage being stripped away while the world remains silent. This is the grim reality faced by the indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh, a community fighting for survival amidst land seizures, violence, and cultural discrimination.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), home to twelve non-Muslim indigenous ethnic groups, popularly known as Jumma people that includes Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Tanchangya, Bawm, and others, have been facing severe existential crises since the partition of British-India in 1947 and the emergence of India and Pakistan as independent states. Historically, these minorities enjoyed self-governance status under Mughal and British rule. For instance, the 1900 Regulation Act of the British colonial administration safeguarded the CHT from external settlements, recognizing the region as an excluded area. Unfortunately, this special status has systematically faded away under the subsequent administrations. The 1958 CHT Land Acquisition Regulation during Pakistan's administration paved the way for non-indigenous settlement in the area, disregarding indigenous land rights and ownership. This was done without the full consent or involvement of the indigenous people.

The construction of the Kaptai Dam on the major river of CHT in 1962 submerged a vast area of arable land and displaced around 100,000 people, marking the start of systematic land dispossession of indigenous communities. Not being compensated, a portion of displaced people sought refuge in India.

After the independence of Bangladesh, its 1972 Constitution further marginalized the Indigenous people of the CHT by failing to provide recognition for their distinct identity. State-sponsored settlement of Bengalis, particularly during 1979-83, drastically changed the demographic composition of the region, reducing indigenous populations from 98.5% in 1947 to roughly 50% today. This transmigration, together with militarization, led to widespread human rights abuses that included land grabbing, massacres, and genocides.

Despite the 1997 CHT Accord, which promised demilitarization and settlement of land disputes, the region remains heavily militarized to this day, with over 400 military/paramilitary camps and many lands under occupancy of Bengali settlers. The military's role in maintaining control has exacerbated tensions and resulted in ongoing violence. The recent attacks on September 19-20, 2024, where Bengali settlers, with military backing, destroyed indigenous people's homes, shops, and Buddhist temples, leading to several deaths due to open fire by the military and more than a hundred wounded, is another testimony of systematic extermination of the CHT indigenous people.

The United Nations (UN) is urged to take necessary action to demilitarize the CHT, implement the peace accord, protect their human rights and provide constitutional recognition as indigenous people. Additionally, Bangladeshi military personnel involved in human rights abuses should be excluded from UN peacekeeping missions. 

The indigenous people of the CHT deserve the right to live free of fear, protect their lands, and preserve their culture. We urge the global community to stand with them in their fight for survival and justice by signing this petition.

https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/end-exploitation-indigenous-communities-3707841​

https://aippnet.org/aipp-condemns-violent-attack-jumma-indigenous-peoples-chittagong-hill-tracts-bangladesh-urges-immediate-action-protect-indigenous-peoples/​

https://www.eurasiareview.com/22092024-ethnic-violence-in-bangladeshs-hill-region-leaves-many-dead-oped/​

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3279458/chittagong-hill-tracts-sectarian-violence-sews-fear-among-ethnic-minorities​

https://peaceaccords.nd.edu/provision/withdrawal-of-troops-chittagong-hill-tracts-peace-accord-cht