May 8, 2025 10:59 pm
Full News

Police Attacks on Ethnic Minority Protest in Dhaka Over Textbook Controversy

On January 16, 2025, police in Dhaka dispersed a protest by ethnic minority students near the Ministry of Home Affairs, resulting in injuries to several students and a police officer.
The students, claiming themselves as “Adivasi”—a term for indigenous communities in Bangladesh—were marching from the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University toward the Secretariat. Their demonstration aimed to protest an attack the previous day by the group “Students for Sovereignty” and to oppose the removal of a symbolic image from the Bengali grammar and composition textbook for ninth and tenth graders.


The contested image depicted a tree with five leaves, each labeled with a term for a religious or ethnic community in Bangladesh: Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, and “Adivasi,” accompanied by the caption “Tearing leaves is prohibited.” Following a protest by Students for Sovereignty on January 12, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) removed the image from the online version of the textbook.
During the January 16 protest, police set up barricades near Shikkha Bhaban to halt the march. When protesters breached the barricades, law enforcement deployed water cannons and sound grenades. As the students continued toward the Secretariat, police initiated a baton charge to disperse the crowd.
A student protester reported, “Members of a settler organization named Students for Sovereignty attacked us yesterday, injuring us cruelly. Our demonstration today is to protest that incident. The police have attacked our peaceful protest and injured many of us.” Shahbagh Police Station Chief Md Rezaul Hossain confirmed the dispersal, stating, “The students were marching towards the Secretariat and the police dispersed them. The students have now left.”
The previous day’s confrontation between Agitated Adivasi Students and Students for Sovereignty in front of the NCTB Building resulted in injuries on both sides. Alik Mro, an organizer for Agitated Adivasi Students, claimed that eleven of their members were injured in the attack. Conversely, Muhammad Ziaul Haque Zia, convenor of Students for Sovereignty, alleged that fourteen of their students were injured by the “tribals.”
The situation underscores ongoing tensions surrounding the representation and rights of indigenous communities in Bangladesh, particularly concerning educational content and recognition.

Related News
UN Experts Demand Immediate Action on Detention of Bangladeshi Journalists Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed
Iran Unveils Fearsome Drone, Causes Sleepless Nights for Israel
Geopolitical Shifts: Assad’s Fall and Its Potential Impact on the Israel-Palestine Conflict
Golden Globes 2025: Fun, Family, and Magic Moments
South Korea’s Ruling Party Leader Han Dong-hoon Resigns Amid Political Turmoil
Gunman Arrested After Attempted Shooting of Sikh Leader at India’s Golden Temple
Related Posts
U.S. Consulate in Lahore Orders Staff to Take Shelter Amid Security Threats
Journalist Attacked with Bricks by Miscreants in Bangladesh
Alert in Rajasthan and Punjab: Police Leave Cancelled, Missiles Ready
India Launches Overnight Drone Strikes Across Pakistan; 25 Drones Shot Down
Biggest Stock Market Crash in a Decade Hits Bangladesh
India-Pakistan Tensions Shake South Asia, Clouds Loom Over Bangladesh’s Economy
More News

Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza Kill at Least 18, Including Children and Senior Hamas Officers

On Thursday, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 people in the Gaza Strip, including three children and two high-ranking officers in the Hamas-run police force. One strike early in the day hit a tent in the Israeli-declared humanitarian zone known as Muwasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering in tents during the […]

U.S. and Russian Foreign Ministers Engage in Verbal Clash

The United States and Russia remain on opposing sides regarding the Ukraine war. The U.S. has been providing Ukraine with extensive support, including fighter jets and tanks. This ongoing rivalry resurfaced when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov engaged in a verbal clash with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. According to a report by Al […]

India-Pakistan Conflict“I Know Both Nations Well, This Must End”: Trump Calls for Peace

Tensions have sharply escalated between India and Pakistan following Indian missile strikes on several locations in Pakistan, including the Pakistan-administered region of Azad Kashmir. According to Pakistani authorities, the attacks resulted in 31 fatalities. In response, Islamabad has authorized its military to carry out retaliatory strikes. Amid growing fears of further conflict, U.S. President Donald […]

Bangladesh’s Yunus Government Urges India to Restrict Suvendu Adhikari’s Remarks Amid Trade Row

NEW DELHI/DHAKA – The Bangladeshi government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has called on Indian authorities to restrict comments by West Bengal politicians, particularly BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, following his strong remarks about suspending trade with Bangladesh. Adhikari warned that halting exports to Bangladesh would cripple its reliance on Indian essential commodities and issued […]

Taiwanese Activist Condemned for Displaying Nazi Symbols During Public Appearance

Taipei, Taiwan – Taiwanese activist Sung Chien-liang has sparked widespread condemnation after wearing a Nazi armband and holding a Chinese translation of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” during a public appearance at the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office. The incident has drawn criticism from Germany, Israel, and Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry, among others.Sung, affiliated with the nationalist […]

China Braces for Impact: New Tariffs Signal Tough Road Ahead Under Trump’s Administration

In a factory along China’s eastern coast, the hiss and puff of compressed air molds leather into cowboy boots, a product quintessentially American yet profoundly tied to Chinese manufacturing. Here, amidst the cacophony of an assembly line, the economic repercussions of political decisions half a world away are deeply felt. Mr. Peng, a 45-year-old sales […]

US Urges India to Work with Pakistan to Ease Kashmir Tensions

Tensions between India and Pakistan have sharply escalated following a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 people dead. The situation has raised fears of a potential military conflict, with Indian intelligence reportedly suggesting the possibility of an attack on Pakistan. In response, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged […]

Muhammad Yunus’s Remarks on Trump’s Victory – A Disrespectful Overreach with Potential Diplomatic Fallout

The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Professor Muhammad Yunus, is a global icon admired for his pioneering work in microfinance and social business. However, his reaction to Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, likening it to a “solar eclipse” and describing it as “black days,” reflects a level of emotional hyperbole that […]

WFP Reports: Cost of Feeding Millions in Crisis Equals Two Weeks of Global Coffee Spending

The cost of feeding millions of people experiencing conflicts, climate disasters, and other crises is roughly equivalent to what the world spends on coffee in just two weeks, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). Acute hunger is on the rise again, affecting 343 million people in 74 countries where the WFP operates. Up to […]

Israel-Hamas Peace Talks Resume Once Again

Peace talks between Israel and Hamas, previously stalled by mediators from Qatar and the United States last month, have resumed in Egypt, according to officials from both sides. On Friday, December 6, the American news outlet Voice of America reported this development. Hamas political official Basem Naim told the Associated Press on Thursday that efforts […]