Guwahati Sept 22: Over 400 people from the Chakma community staged a sit-in demonstration at the Designated Dharna Ground in Sachal, Guwahati, on Sunday, demanding India’s intervention in the ongoing systematic communal violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh.
The protest was organized by the All Assam Chakma Society and Guwahati Chakma Students Union
The protestors, including men, women and students alleged that the violence is being perpetrated by the Bangladeshi Army, in association with illegal Muslim settlers, targeting indigenous minorities following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.
The PROTESTORS raised slogans such as “End ethnic cleansing, save the Chittagong Hill Tracts!”, “Stop the massacres, protect indigenous lives!”, “Down with fanaticism, down with injustice!”, “We demand UN intervention – Now!”, “Protect indigenous minorities – end Bangladesh’s genocide!”, “Save Our Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian brothers”, and “Barbaric settlers must be stopped.”
The protest called for urgent international action to protect the indigenous Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian communities in the CHT from what they described as genocide and ethnic cleansing.
The indigenous Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian communities in the CHT of Bangladesh are reportedly facing an orchestrated campaign of ethnic cleansing, led by illegal Bengali settlers and supported by the Bangladesh Army, with the tacit encouragement of the newly formed government. Protesters have described the situation as a “genocide in progress.”
Recent violent attacks in the Dighinala and Khagrachari regions have resulted in the brutal killings of at least 5 to 10 individuals, leaving dozens injured, and hundreds of indigenous people missing. Men, women, and children are being forced out of their homes as properties are set ablaze, belongings looted, and entire communities shattered. Thousands of people are fleeing into the forests in a desperate attempt to escape the violence, further highlighting the urgency for international intervention to protect the vulnerable populations in the region.
All Assam chakma Society president Ashutosh Chakma said: “The violence and persecution faced by indigenous communities in the CHT is not an isolated event but part of a long-standing pattern of systemic oppression.”
The protesters argued that the Bangladesh government and military have allowed, and even encouraged this violence. The recent killing of a criminal, Md Mamun, has been used as a pretext to fuel communal hatred, sparking another wave of brutal attacks on peaceful indigenous populations.
“The indigenous population in the CHT, which comprised 98.5% of the region in 1947, has drastically reduced to 55.48% today. This alarming decline is the result of decades of ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and persecution aimed at erasing these communities from their ancestral lands. The ongoing violence is characterized by illegal settlers, driven by fanatical and Jihadist ideologies, who have been allowed to steal land, destroy homes, and terrorize families with impunity. The indigenous people, including Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians, continue to face this orchestrated campaign of extermination,” Chakma said.
“We make an urgent appeal for intervention by the Indian government, specifically calling upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government to address the escalating violence against indigenous minorities in the CHT. As a neighbouring nation, India cannot ignore the crisis unfolding at its borders. We also demanded that India’s diplomatic power be used to pressure Bangladesh to halt the violence and protect the vulnerable Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian communities,” Chakma also said.
The protestors also called for the involvement of the United Nations and the broader international community. They insisted that the UN must not remain silent and demanded an international investigation into the atrocities committed in the CHT. According to the protesters, the world must hold the Bangladesh government and its military accountable for facilitating this systematic oppression.
“We further called for immediate action to end the violence, ensure the safety of minority communities, and protect their right to live peacefully in their ancestral lands. They further urged the international community to apply diplomatic pressure, including sanctions if necessary, to prevent further bloodshed and ensure justice for the persecuted minorities,” he added.
