Rangamati, Aug 11 (V7N) – Leaders and activists of the Parbatya Chattogram Chatra Parishad (PCSP) organized a human chain and protest rally in Rangamati on Sunday, voicing strong opposition to what they described as anti-state conspiracies being carried out under the guise of demands for indigenous recognition.
 
The demonstration was held at the Banarupa CNG station premises in the town, with PCSP Rangamati Municipal President Parvez Mosharraf Hossain presiding. Habib Al Mahmud, Senior Joint Secretary of the PCSP Central Committee, attended as the chief guest.
 
Speakers at the protest included Dhaka Metropolitan General Secretary of PCSP and Dhaka University student Riazul Hasan, PCSP Central Assistant General Secretary Tajul Islam, Assistant Organizing Secretary Mezbah Uddin, Rangamati District President Alomgir Hossain, General Secretary Khalilur Rahman, Conference Implementation Committee Convenor Shakhawat Hossain, Joint Secretary Rabiul Islam, Publicity Secretary Ismail Gazi, and Municipal Organizing Secretary Riazul Islam Babu.
 
In their speeches, participants questioned why certain ethnic groups were so determined to gain constitutional recognition as "indigenous." They claimed that the tribal and ethnic groups living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) are not the original inhabitants of the region, but rather migrated from countries such as Myanmar, India, Tibet, Tripura, Mizoram, and China around the year 1730 due to conflict.
 
They cited historical accounts and writings by several Chakma and Marma scholars that acknowledge their communities' foreign origins. According to them, under Article 23(A) of the Constitution of Bangladesh, there are no "indigenous peoples" in the country—only "ethnic minorities" or "tribal groups."
 
Speakers further argued that the demand for indigenous status is part of a broader plan to push for a separate state in the CHT, which they referred to as "Jummaland." They likened the claim to a crow putting on peacock feathers and pretending to be a peacock, saying "Wearing modern clothes and claiming to be indigenous is both false and laughable."
 
They warned that recognizing these groups as indigenous could pose a threat to the country's sovereignty. According to the PCSP, the Bengali population are the true natives of the CHT, and the ongoing push for indigenous recognition is part of a long-term political conspiracy to divide the nation.
 
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