AS Bangladesh erupted in euphoria over the triumph of the Gen Z revolution-as it has become known thanks to the protest: movement led by young students and tweens-the Indian establishment watched the events that dismantled Sheikh Hasina's 15-year-long regime with extreme caution.
Alongside ordinary citizens from all walks of life, the protestors included members from the Jamaat-e-Islami (Jel) Bangladesh, the largest Islamist political party and its student wing the Islamist Chhatra Shibir (ICS). Shafiq ur Rehman, 65, chief of the Jel, was hailed on social media as the man behind the resistance movement. Known for its anti-India politics, allegiance to Pakistan, alleged links to jihadi terror groups and immense street power to cause violence, the involvement of Jel has given rise to the suspicion in India that the revolutions were backed by the Islamist party.
In 2011, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh vocalised the widely perceived threat from the JeI in an off-the-record conversation with journalists. The usually reticent Singh reportedly minced no words in his remarks, claiming that at least 25 per cent of Bangladesh's population, which follows the Jel or the Jamaat as it is also known, was very anti-Indian and the Islamist organisation was in the clutches of Pakistan's ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). "The political landscape in Bangladesh can change at any time. We do not know what these terrorist elements, who have a hold on the Jel in Bangladesh, can be up to," Singh was quoted as saying at the time.
As that dreaded moment of reckoning arrived on August 6, leading to the regime change in Bangladesh, many in India's security and military establishment feared Singh's prophetic remarks becoming the neighbourhood's geopolitical reality.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has since underlined the safety of Hindu minorities twice in his statements on Bangladesh.
Denne historien er fra September 1, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 1, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Trump's White House 'Waapsi'
Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may very well mean an end to democracy in the near future
IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024
Shri Suresh Narayanan, Chairman Managing Director of Nestlé India Limited, congratulated and motivated graduates at IMT Ghaziabad's Convocation 2024
Identity and 'Infiltrators'
The Jharkhand Assembly election has emerged as a high-stakes political contest, with the battle for power intensifying between key players in the state.
Beyond Deadlines
Bibek Debroy could engage with even those who were not aligned with his politics or economics
Portraying Absence
Exhibits at a group art show in Kolkata examine existence in the absence
Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains
In Adivasi poetry, everything breathes, everything is alive and nothing is inferior to humans
Hemant Versus Himanta
Himanta Biswa Sarma brings his hate bandwagon to Jharkhand to rattle Hemant Soren’s tribal identity politics
A Smouldering Wasteland
As Jharkhand goes to the polls, people living in and around Jharia coalfield have just one request for the administration—a life free from smoke, fear and danger for their children
Search for a Narrative
By demanding a separate Sarna Code for the tribals, Hemant Soren has offered the larger issue of tribal identity before the voters
The Historic Bonhomie
While the BJP Is trying to invoke the trope of Bangladeshi infiltrators”, the ground reality paints a different picture pertaining to the historical significance of Muslim-Adivasi camaraderie
