International Indigenous Peoples Day was celebrated in a festive atmosphere on Sunday in Barlekha of Moulvibazar and Chunarughat of Habiganj with colourful rallies, discussion meetings, cultural programmes and various other events.

In Barlekha, various Indigenous communities living in the hills and plains of Barlekha and Juri upazilas joined the celebrations.

A rally began at 11:00am from the premises of the District Council Auditorium. It paraded through the main streets of the town and ended at the Upazila Dak Bungalow.

Earlier, the programme was inaugurated by raising the national flag following the national anthem. Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Barlekha Upazila Naima Nadia formally inaugurated the event.

The programmes were jointly organised by the Moulvibazar District Branch of the Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum, Barlekha Indigenous Peoples Development Forum, and the Barlekha Branch of the KUBORAJ Inter-Panjee Development Organisation.

At the discussion meeting, representatives of the Indigenous Peoples Forum placed 14 demands before the government.

 Their demands included constitutional recognition of Indigenous peoples, formation of a separate Land Commission for Indigenous communities living in the plains, effective measures to resolve existing land-related problems in various tea gardens and Indigenous settlements, and adequate budgetary allocation for the educational, healthcare, economic and social development of Indigenous communities.

The meeting was chaired by Narayan Kurmi, president of the Barlekha Indigenous Peoples Development Forum. Former vice-president of the University Tea Students' Council Ripon Kurmi and convener of the Barlekha Indigenous Youth Forum Jasinta Sumer jointly moderated the event.

Nasir Uddin Ahmed Mithu, Member of Parliament from the Moulvibazar-1 constituency, attended the programme as the chief guest. Expressing solidarity with the demands of the Indigenous communities, he assured the gathering that several of the demands would be implemented promptly.

Meanwhile, International Indigenous Peoples Day was also observed in Chunarughat of Habiganj through a colourful rally, discussion meeting and cultural programme.

The programme was organised by the International Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration Committee, Chunarughat, at the Chunarughat Upazila Parishad auditorium at 11:00am. The theme of this year's observance was “Come Forward to Protect Indigenous Life and Traditional Knowledge.

Chittaranjan Deb Barman presided over the programme, while Chunarughat Upazila Nirbahi Officer Galib Chowdhury attended as the chief guest.

Former Chunarughat municipality mayor Nazim Uddin Shamsu, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Habiganj president Advocate Mansur Uddin Ahmed Iqbal, Dhara Habiganj convener Tahmina Begum Gini, noted paediatrician Dr Zamir Ali, Khoai River Waterkeeper Tofozzal Sohel and Chunarughat Upazila BNP general secretary Advocate Mir Siraj were present as special guests.

Among others, Swapan Munda, Harendra Oraon, Madan Pahan, Bishu Jhora, Helen Mahali, Thakur Dhan, Palash Hajong, Kamal Bhumij, Swapan Santal, Kanchan Patra and Samuel Kapil Oraon spoke at the programme.

The speakers highlighted the rich diversity of Indigenous languages, cultures and traditions and called for the demands of Indigenous communities for equal rights and dignity to be considered with due importance.

The celebrations in both districts featured colourful rallies and cultural performances showcasing the traditional heritage and cultural diversity of the Indigenous communities.