Washington, March 20: Several indigenous and Catholic leaders from central Bangladesh have issued a warning to the government. They threaten to launch significant protests if the controversial forestry development project is not revoked.
The Garo and Koch indigenous communities allege that the proposed project in the Madhupur forest area of Tangail district, which includes plans for an artificial lake and eco-park, is a scheme to displace them from their ancestral lands.
According to a report by the American media outlet Eternal Word Television Network, Tony Chirang, president of the Bangladesh Indigenous Youth Forum, addressed hundreds of students and community members during a protest rally held in Madhupur on March 6. He stated that this project would take away the agricultural land of the indigenous people, destroy natural forests, and eliminate their livelihoods.
Chirang remarked, “What the government is doing in the name of development is not development at all. It is a clear plan to remove the Garo and Koch indigenous people from this area.”
The report indicates that Bangladesh, with a population of approximately 178 million, is home to around 400,000 Catholics, more than half of whom belong to indigenous communities.
The government first proposed the plan for an artificial lake and eco-park in Madhupur in 2000. The project was halted after a Garo man was killed and several others injured during protests in 2004. However, it has been revived in 2026, with excavation work already underway.
Indigenous leaders argue that this project is part of a long-standing strategy to deprive them of their traditional rights.
Janoki Chisim, secretary of the Garo Indigenous Student Union, stated that this project is an injustice not only to the forest but also to the people who depend on it. He emphasized, “Let the forest remain in its original form. The Garo and Koch communities have lived here for centuries.”
He warned that if the traditional land rights of the indigenous people are not protected, a major movement will be initiated in the coming days.
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