Recently, Mizoram’s Member of Parliament, K. Vanlalvena, met with leaders of Myanmar’s Chinland Council and called for the border areas to be integrated into India. His argument was that these ethnic groups are historically part of India, and their interests would be better protected under Indian governance.
Shortly after, a Member of Parliament from Manipur addressed India’s Lok Sabha, demanding the reclamation of the Kabaw Valley. He pointed out that in 1953, India’s then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru handed over 22,000 square kilometers of historically Manipuri land to Myanmar through a diplomatic meeting with U Nu, Myanmar’s then-leader.
Do these events not provide new grounds for the Indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) to reconsider their own situation?
During the partition of 1947, the Indigenous people of Chittagong Hill Tracts wanted to remain with India. However, against their will, the region was incorporated into East Pakistan, with promises that their interests would be safeguarded. But after 24 years under Pakistani rule and over 50 years in independent Bangladesh, they continue to be deprived of their fundamental rights.
Under Pakistani rule, their language, culture, and land were forcefully occupied. After Bangladesh’s independence, the same policy continued. The 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord gave Indigenous people a glimmer of hope, but in reality, most of its terms were never implemented. Land grabbing, settlements, and military oppression persist to this day.
Bangladesh’s current political situation has made the future of Indigenous communities even more uncertain. After the fall of the Hasina government on August 5, the country’s situation changed drastically. It was promised that Bangladesh would become a nation free of discrimination.
However, from the evening of August 5, oppression against minorities escalated. Temples, churches, shops, lands, and hills were seized, yet no one is keeping count.
Bandarban has suffered the most from illegal occupation among the three districts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Those who protest are abducted, and there is no recourse for justice. Indigenous people, Hindus, and other minorities are no longer safe in Bangladesh. No one dares to speak out—those who do risk enforced disappearances, murder, or imprisonment. Chinnmoy Prabhu stands as a burning example. Yet, the media remains entirely silent on these issues.
It’s not just the Indigenous people; the entire female population of Bangladesh is being subjected to the imposition of Islamic laws. Regardless of their religion, women are being forced to wear hijabs in public. Is this a sign of a nation moving towards democracy, or is Bangladesh transforming into a fully Islamic state like Pakistan?
Despite the ongoing persecution of minorities in Bangladesh, the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and India remain silent. The West, which is vocal about the Rohingya issue, is completely mute when it comes to the plight of the Indigenous people of the CHT.
Under state sponsorship, Muslim settlements are being established in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. It is possible that the Rohingya refugees will also be given permanent residence there. This is a deliberate demographic shift that threatens the existence of the Indigenous population. The Indigenous people of Bangladesh share ethnic and cultural ties with India’s northeastern Indigenous communities. Therefore, India could take steps to protect their rights.
In Pakistan, the minority population was once 15%, but today it has dwindled to just 3%. In 1947, the Indigenous population of the Chittagong Hill Tracts was 98.7%. Today, it has declined to 50%. The Hindu and Indigenous population of Bangladesh has shrunk from 30% to just 8%.
Will non-Muslim populations be completely erased from Bangladesh by 2050?
Can the Indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts demand an autonomous region? Can they raise their voices internationally to seek integration with India? Will they follow the path of resistance like Myanmar’s Chin Indigenous group?
Geopolitical realities are changing rapidly. Will the Indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts wait passively, or will they take alternative measures to secure their future?
Will a minister from Tripura, such as Honorable Santwana Chakma, or the Honorable Tripura King himself, issue such a call?
The answer lies with you. Think neutrally, not like an extremist.
K. Vanlalvena (Photo Source: MNF Party)
