Student For Sovereignty Involved in Attack on Indigenous People, Backed by Chhatra Shibir

Dhaka: In response to the cancellation of the word “indigenous” from the back cover of the 9th-10th grade Bengali second paper by the NCTB, an attack took place on the protest rally of the “Aggrieved Indigenous Student Community” organized in Dhaka. The attack was carried out by the group “Students for Sovereignty” on Sunday, January 15, during their siege of the NCTB office.

Following the attack, there has been widespread reaction on social media. Observations indicate that since August 5, various student and social organizations have emerged across the country, with allegations that Jamaat-e-Islami and Chhatra Shibir have formed these groups.

Sources reveal that “Students for Sovereignty” is an organization primarily formed by settlers from the Chittagong Hill Tracts and students from that region at Dhaka University. This group is also affiliated with another organization, the “Chittagong Hill Tracts Student Council.” To suppress the movement, “Students for Sovereignty” has shared posts on their Facebook page, as has the Chittagong Hill Tracts Student Council.

The former president of Dhaka University Chhatra Shibir, Sadik Kayyum, and the current president, SM Forhad, both of whom were former presidents of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Student Council, are reportedly linked to these activities.

In a post shared by Sadik Kayyum, a student of Dhaka University involved in the attack, Enamul Haque, can be seen celebrating after gaining admission to the university.

A student named Farha Tahsin posted on Facebook: “A group named ‘Students for Sovereignty’ is using cricket stumps and slogans like ‘Who am I, who are you, Bengali is Bengali’ to beat up indigenous people, causing head injuries. The president of Chhatra Shibir, Sadik Kayyum, and Forhad were also presidents of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Student Union, which runs the ‘Students for Sovereignty’ platform, and their page broadcasts live events of this platform.”

This student also claimed that “Islamic Chhatra Shibir” is trying to establish terrorism by opening multiple wings under different names.

Indigenous Students Seriously Injured

Meanwhile, in a protest letter signed by Thuilapru Marma, the office secretary of the Hill Student Council, the attack by the extremist communal group “Students for Sovereignty” during the “Aggrieved Indigenous Student Community” rally was condemned. The rally was held in protest of the NCTB’s cancellation of the word “indigenous” from the Bengali textbook, and the attack resulted in 10-15 students being injured. The Greater Chittagong Hill Tracts Indigenous People’s Council (PCP) has expressed concern over the incident.

PCP President Ankan Chakma and General Secretary Amal Tripura, in a statement to the media, expressed their protests, stating, “How could an extremist communal group, like the so-called ‘Students for Sovereignty,’ attack a peaceful rally of indigenous and minority students in the presence of police? We believe that some students from the settler community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and extremist and fundamentalist groups are behind this attack. We express our deep concern and apprehension over this incident.”

Indigenous Students Being Brutally Beaten

Leaders have emphasized that this attack in Dhaka is not an isolated incident but a planned one. They said that members of the so-called “Students for Sovereignty” group had been making threats on social media since the previous day. From the morning of the attack, they had gathered in front of the NCTB office, holding cricket stumps and wooden sticks with national flags. When the “Aggrieved Indigenous Student Community” marched to the NCTB office as part of their protest, the peaceful rally was attacked in the presence of police, which is reprehensible. We have learned that at least 10-15 individuals were injured.

The leaders further stated that extremist communal groups, including the settler Bengali community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, are attempting to create ethnic hatred by bringing forward the “indigenous” issue, trying to stir up tension and disintegration of the hill people from Bangladesh. We believe that certain state entities may be inciting these actions.