Repeated attacks on a group of protesters harks back to the days of the previous regime when its hired goons would swoop on peaceful demonstrators, viciously targeting women while the police stood by. Later, the police would turn on the demonstrators when they tried to resist saying that the protesters were becoming too unruly and disturbing public order.

Whether the word "adivasi" should be on the back cover of a text-book (it should) and whether identifying a certain group as "adivasi" undermines another's claim to this land (it does not) can very well be a topic of debate. But that was not what the "Students for Sovereignty" had in mind at all. They were out to beat up the indigenous demonstrators.

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7 hurt as cops foil march for adivasis

Supported by a few student platforms headed by Shibir leaders, (the Islami Chhatra Shibir being the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami) and having disturbing connections with the Jatiya Nagorik Committee (as reported in The Daily Star), the Students for Sovereignty bears the hallmarks of the platforms set up by the Bangladesh Chhatra League for their goons to swoop on general students. The same script appeared to be playing out when a dubious platform beat up peaceful demonstrators while the police virtually stood by.

And today, the police actually turned on the very student platform that had been beaten up yesterday apparently in the name of sovereignty with stumps bearing our national flag. While clips of police violently charging batons on students who are visibly retreating are going viral, the police statement smack of bygone Awami League era. They said, they did not beat students but charged batons only to "disperse" them.

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Protests in CHT over attacks on indigenous people

Street protests have become part and parcel of Dhaka's streets since the interim government took over. Although rather bothersome, these demonstrations only reflected a vibrant political culture. It was even more ironic that such a heinous attack occurred during the regime of a government that emerged out of a campaign which toppled an autocratic regime.

Condemnation of this violence and strong statements in solidarity with the indigenous communities will not be enough. The thugs of Students for Sovereignty must be taken to task and given exemplary punishment.