CULTURAL CONFLICT AND EVERYDAY FORMS OF ‘DISCRIMINATION’ IN
CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS, BANGLADESH.
Uddin Muhammad Ala∗

A. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The research concerns the ethnic people of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) which is located at thesoutheastern part of Bangladesh bordering Myanmar and India. The hill tracts host twelve different ethnic
communities from the unknown time. These ethnic people (popularly called as Pahari) differ significantlyfrom the mainstream population of Bangladesh Bengali (Bangali). The historical development of the CHT
has marked it as an ‘other’ and ‘isolated’ place since the colonial administration started from around 1860
to date. Although British administration reduced some traditional customs of the Paharis, they alsopreserved their distinct characteristics by proclaiming the CHT Manual 1900. During the Pakistan period,
these non-Muslim ethnic people were treated as ‘uncivilized’; Pakistan government did not consider themas “human” or citizen of Pakistan, instead it adopted hostile attitude toward the Paharis of CHT.
They had started to repress the Paharis in every case. Kauffmann lamented that “the Pakistan
government would not tolerate that there are citizens in its territory whom outsiders could call‘primitives’ or even ‘savages’” (Schendel 2000).
Since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, conflict between the Pahari people and the state
has worsened due to immigration of Bangali settlers, military occupation and environmental pressures inCHT. The government of Bangladesh classified the Pahari people as ‘estranged and isolated’. The
official program designed to ‘civilize’ Pahari people viewing them ‘primitive’ & ‘backward’. LocalPahari identity, cultural distinctiveness, livelihood practices are officially unrecognized and often seen as
contrary to national laws, policies and objectives. Successive governments have always legitimized themilitarization of the Hill Tracts. Over the last quarter century, Pahari people have been involved in astruggle for autonomy from the Bangladesh state. In the name of counter insurgency, massive violationsof human rights were committed by the military forces. Many Pahari people along with Bangali people
were killed in the course of conflict and violence committed during 1976- 1997 in CHT. However, inDecember 02, 1997 a historical “Peace Accord” was signed by the Government of Bangladesh and theJana Samhati Samity (JSS- the political platform of the people of CHT) to establish peace and communal
harmony in CHT that ironically results the CHT neither a secured nor a peaceful land for its natives.
Therefore, the study focused on the local perceptions toward conflict and discrimination in CHT where
cultural gap and cultural hatred generated the crisis over the years. The study also examined thesignificance of the Peace Accord-1997 that was signed 11 years ago.

∗Ph.D Student, Faculty of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Japan. [Assistant Professor, Department ofAnthropology, Chittagong University, Bangladesh]1

B. METHODOLOGY AND CONTENT
Research objectives and methods
There are many documents on the overall situation of CHT but very few are as researchdocuments. Being an anthropological site, the CHT has not been explored by local and foreign
anthropologists. We have few anthropological literatures on the ethnic culture, ethnography of ethnic
community, or comparison study between ethnic groups and ethnic conflict; most are ethnographic
literatures. Researchers, scholars and government policies have been making the CHT crisis as either apolitical or an economic problem overlooking the cultural dimensions what according to the locals are theunderlying causes and basics of the conflict. The research is planned to that end, as I consider that, theunderlying causes are the fundamental in this situation which are behind and intensely deep-rooted with
one’s identity and self-determinism.
However, I visited Rangamati district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)– a distinct region inBangladesh in terms of its ethnic, cultural and environmental diversity. The purpose of the fieldwork wasmainly to understand the cultural dynamics of conflict and discrimination in this region. However, toreveal the underlying causes of the conflict the research questions were:y

How do Pahari people perceive the conflict between them and Bangali community in CHT?

y

How do Pahari people identify the everyday forms of ‘discrimination’ in CHT?

y

Is there any inter-ethnic conflict and ‘discrimination’ in CHT?

yWhat is the attitude of the Bangali people toward the conflict and ‘discrimination’ in CHT?

yHow do Pahari and Bangali people evaluate the Peace Accord 1997 and peace process?

yWhat is the impact of the Peace Accord 1997 toward peace and communal harmony?

In line with the above mentioned objective field research was conducted in Rangamati District- theoldest district of CHT. In-depth interviews with 15 Pahari and Bangali people living in CHT wereconducted to get their personal experiences and perceptions to the problem. Three focus group
discussions (FGD) were conducted to understand the collective attitudes toward the problems. Three
special cases were studied as Case Study, and two key informants were consulted about the overallsituation and information gathered from the informants through interviews and discussion along withobservations.
Local perception towards conflict and peace process
Ethnic perceptions toward conflict and discrimination
According to the local Pahari people, they have had no problem with the Bangali people who
naturally migrated to CHT from the nearby districts since pre-Pakistan period. They used to lead aharmonious life in CHT until planned population transfer program was taken by the government since
Pakistan period. The old Bangali community used to enjoy and adapt with the ethnic culture and customs
but the new Bangali Muslim settlers perceived the CHT as a jungle and hill, so also its people are jongli(who live in the jungle) and ‘primitive’. The State of Pakistan and Bangladesh also considered them as‘backward’ and ‘separationist’. Therefore, the settlers with the assistance of security forces attempted tooccupy and control over the land and the people. The settler Bangali and security forces forcibly raped2many helpless ethnic girls/women either at their home or in jungle or crops-land. While a girl/women
works lonely around the locality she cannot not manage to escape her if any law enforcing agent or settler
Bangali attempt to rape her or sexually assault. There are many Pahari families whose relative(s) wereeither raped or sexually harassed by the Bangali or security personnel in CHT. Therefore, cultural clash,consumptive and materialistic mentalities are responsible for generating violence in CHT.
Everyday forms of ‘discrimination’ in CHT
Since the Bangali settlement in CHT, Paharis found their traditional life was no more out ofdanger. In everyday life, they experienced that the land what they had nurtured and prepared toinhabitable from unknown time, become uninhabitable and fearful for its natives. The hill economy,
political organization, civil administration, and security forces are dominating by the Bangali. Security
forces (mainly military forces) not only are assisting the Bangali people to occupy lands, they also
supporting new settlements displacing Pahari people from their own land. Paharis’ everyday movement
become highly restricted and controlled by them. Experiencing all forms of discrimination anddeprivation Pahari people’s realization is “life is not ours”.
Inter-ethnic conflict and discrimination in CHT
Until Bangali settlement in CHT, there was no communal clash. Since the Bangali settlement,communal conflict between Bangali and Pahari people started. Until 1979 the communal clash waslimited between these two groups. Since the day of “Peace Accord” (December 02, 1997) a segment ofPahari people publicly opposed the peace accord terming it as anti-interest of the Paharis. Many Pahari
people have been killed in the course of violence between two Pahari organizations (JSS and UPDF).
Locals claim that, state or military forces have been patronizing the UPDF (United People’s DemocraticFront) against the JSS to “divide and rule” the CHT, so that, they cannot strongly move for the full
implementation of the peace accord. Besides this violence, competition among Paharis has raised due tothe newly created job market and other opportunities for ethnic people since the “peace accord”.
Bangali perception toward conflict and discrimination
Old Bangali people living in CHT think that Pahari people could not take easily the unexpectedhuge migration into CHT from the plain districts. Government of Bangladesh could consult with the local
people before launching huge population movement. Natural resources and life of Pahari people turned
into threat because of the aggression of the Bangali settlements. According to some of the settler Bangali,
the turmoil situation of CHT is the result of mutual mistrust and misunderstanding. Some other opine, as a
citizen of Bangladesh every one has the right to stay anywhere of the country, but the ethnic people did
not accept the migration of Bangali people. “Emigrating from other countries (for example, Myanmar,Thailand) these ethnic people have been enjoying the natural resources of CHT extensively. When poor
Bangali people desired to share the resources, the Paharis turned into fierce and started violence in CHT”.
Genesis of the crisis
Local Pahari people who differ significantly from the Bangali people in terms of theirappearance, language, religion and socio-cultural organization identify some causes behind the crisis in
CHT. Cultural hatred or underestimation, cultural chauvinism, cultural hegemony and ethnocentrism arebehind the exposed conflict and violence. These un-exposed and underlying cultural aspects are3

responsible and generated the following authoritarian policies and standpoints that turned CHT into theturmoil situation.
Hydro-electric project (Kaptai dam): In 1960 Pakistan government constructed a dam in Rangamati
without prior consultation with the local people that displaced the Paharis from their land and livelihoods.
Population movement: Military government of Bangladesh planned to balance the population in CHT sothat the government can easily control the Paharis. From 1979 to 1984, at least 0.4 million Bangali
people were migrated into CHT from plain districts of Bangladesh who took overall control of CHT withthe support of law enforcing agencies.
Insurgency and counter-insurgency: The Paharis had been reacting to the influx of the Bangali settlers
by armed resistance. Terming this movement as ‘insurgency’ the government of Bangladesh had deployedhuge number of military forces to restraint the conflict situation in CHT in the name of ‘counterinsurgency’. Eventually many Bangali, Pahari and military people killed in armed conflict during 19791997.

C. OBSERVATION AND CONCLUSION
The historical “peace accord” recognizes CHT as a “region inhabited by ‘tribal’ people and also
recognizes the need of preserving the characteristics of the region and development thereof”. Through thehistorical “peace accord” Paharis got few rights, but as vital clauses of the peace accord still remained
un-implemented, it could not bring any significant changes in CHT. Nonetheless, Pahari people believethat once all clauses of the accord are implemented, there would be no problem in CHT for the Paharis.
Some Paharis also opined that, the accord did not reflect the local demands and there is no direction
toward preservation of tradition and ethnic culture. On the other hand, according to the settler Bangali,
the “peace accord” is against the interest of Bangali people. Many Bangali settlers including SamoAdhikar Andolon (Equal Rights Movement) have been demonstrating to cancel the peace accord.
Though the CHT accord has recognized the special status of the hill people, twelve years after thesigning of the accord, local inhabitants of the area are still continuing to live in fear of attacks from
Bangali settlers often carried out with the apparent connivance of security personnel. Important clauses
have remained unimplemented by the last two political governments, and remained in a stage of ‘two step
forward one step back’. Therefore the post-accord situation in CHT is neither secured nor peaceful.
Because of the ‘politics of peace’, merely political agreement is not able to solve the problem as it isdeeply rooted with cultural phenomenon. The existing crisis would not be impossible to resolve if holistic
approach is taken.

4