Bangladesh Indigenous groups protest for land rights in Dhaka

Indigenous leaders and activists in Bangladesh staged a national rally in Dhaka on Tuesday, demanding constitutional recognition, land rights protections and an end to violence against their communities.

The demonstration, organized by the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum and supported by the Catholic Church’s Justice and Peace Commission, drew about 5,000 people from 25 ethnic groups. Protesters carried signs reading “Land is life, identity is survival” and “Stop land grabs now.” Police estimated the crowd at 4,000–6,000, with no major incidents reported. The timing coincides with the final days of Parliament’s monsoon session, when lawmakers have been debating a new Indigenous rights bill.

Bangladesh is home to around 5 million Indigenous people from 45 distinct groups, mainly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Many face forced displacement by military and business interests. Land grabs have accelerated since 2015 as logging, tea plantations and tourism expand. The Church has run schools and clinics in the region for decades, but says its efforts are undermined by weak government enforcement. In 2022, a UN report found that 30 per cent of Indigenous households in the Hill Tracts had no legal land title.

Speakers at the rally said the government’s draft bill fails to guarantee Indigenous consent for development projects. Parliament is expected to vote within two weeks. Rights groups warn that without stronger protections, violence and land loss will continue. The Church has called on lawmakers to include Indigenous leaders in the final drafting process.