Protest against arrest of Ringrong Mro at Dhaka’s Shahbagh

Protest against arrest of Ringrong Mro at Dhaka’s Shahbagh

Several protest rally has been organized against the arrest of land rights defender Ringrong Mro in different places of the country. In Bandarban sadar and Thanchi upazila the protest rallies brought out by the Mro Students’ Association, and indigenous students and Mass respectively. On the other hand a protest rally was demonstrated at the Shahbag area in the capital Dhaka by the Dhaka Indigenous Student and Youth Organizations’. The speakers in the demonstration demanded withdrawal of false cases filed against the innocent villagers by the Lama Rubber Industries including Ringrong Mro and immediate release of the arrestee.

Protest against arrest of Ringrong Mro at Dhaka’s Shahbagh

On the evening of Saturday, February 22, 2025, Ringrong Mro, a prominent leader of the land protection movement in Lama Upazila, Bandarban, was arrested by law enforcement officers in civilian clothes in Langkam Para, Sarai Union in Lama Upazila. Locals alleged that his arrest was based on a false case fabricated by Lama Rubber Industries Limited. Ringrong had been vocal in his resistance against the company’s illegal land grabbing activities, which have severely impacted the Mro and Tripura indigenous communities. His arrest is seen as a direct retaliation for his activism in protecting Indigenous lands.

According to Ringrong’s son, Johan Mro, the arrest is part of a broader crackdown against Indigenous land defenders, particularly those resisting the illegal occupation of 400 acres of ancestral land by the rubber company. Johan alleged that authorities have filed three false cases against his father due to his activism in land protection efforts. Despite repeated attempts, calls to the Lama police station were ignored, further fueling concerns about the police’s involvement in the corporate-backed land grab. – Press release