Life and Land of Adibashis: Land Dispossession and Alienation of Adibashis in the Plain Districts of Bangladesh

Denial of the land rights of adibashis of Bangladesh had a long historical background. The instances of land dispossession suffered by the indigenous peoples of the plain land are perhaps even more widespread than in the case of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. Numerous land laws were enacted over time keeping special provisions for the protection of “tribal” land. But the special provisions in these laws were never secured for the minorities including the indigenous peoples. In practice, land alienation goes on unabated. Despite this critical situation of the adibashis in the plains with regard to dispossession of their ancestral lands, there has so far been very little comprehensive research on this issue. This book has been conceived and undertaken in this context in order to have a comprehensive idea about the changing status of land ownership of the adibashis in the plains, including the extent of and reasons for dispossession of their lands. In addition, this book also attempts to sketch the life of some plain land adibashi communities in Bangladesh in a well-crafted methodical framework.