Rights report of indigenous people reflects nat'l disorder

The poor human rights report of the aboriginal people echoes the 'national crisis', observes rights activist Sultana Kamal. State is not standing by the victims in cases of human rights violation, she alleged.

"Currently not only the aboriginals but also the commoners think they have nothing to do to get rid of the situation," the executive director of Ain O Salish Kendra said. She came up with the assertions while addressing a publication ceremony of 'Human Rights Report 2017 on Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh' at Daily Star Center in Dhaka yesterday.

Bangladesh Adivasi Forum General Secretary Sanjib Drang, Ushatan Talukder MP, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Member Prof Banchita Chakma and Dhaka University Professor Sadeka Halim were present at the program. Jatiya Adivasi Forum president Rabindranath Saren presided over the program.      
    
The report, prepared by Kapaeeng Foundation, states: "The 2017 has been a year of pervading concerns and anxieties for the human rights activists. The year under review witnessed a series of abduction, enforced disappearance and extra-judicial killing by plainclothes men often identifying themselves as law enforcers."

"The indigenous rights activists were subject to ruthless physical torture, death in custody, arbitrary arrests on false pretexts, slipping of arms insidiously and sending them to jail on allegation of keeping arms, entangling them in fictitious cases etc. Such infringements were alarmingly rampant in 2017," it claimed.

The report also said: "The year 2017 was eventful as it bore evidence to 10 killings, 141 arrests of indigenous rights activists and innocent villagers, filing of fabricated cases against 161 persons. Numerous atrocities and communal assaults were committed leaving 203 people injured (of them 9 belonged to indigenous peoples from plains) while 79 houses came under unceremonious searches."

"Many now believe that they don't belong to the country as it neither is sheltering nor standing by them," Sultana Kamal observed critically adding: "Violation of human rights is universal. Many countries represent harsher reality than us. However, it does not legitimate our failure." 
  
Culture of impunity can't be the solution, she said proposing that every citizen should raise their voice against human rights violation from their respective platforms.