Pratap Bhanu Mehta | 07 August 2024 | The Indian Express

The momentous ending of Sheikh Hasina’s rule is both a moment of opportunity and risk. In order to understand it, we need to place Bangladesh’s experience in the broader context of democratic institutionalisation. But for India it is vital to not view Bangladesh within the frame of our own narcissism. This revolution belongs to the people of Bangladesh, and it is a moment in their often fraught quest to make their own destiny on their own terms.

India has vital interests in Bangladesh. Bangladesh should not become a staging ground for anti-India groups operating in the North-east. Any violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, even if it is an aberration, will have a profound impact on domestic politics in India, which in turn will affect Bangladesh politics. So far, the army and the student movement in Bangladesh are giving every positive indication of not letting this happen.

But our degree of narcissism has blindsided us. At the governmental level, it led us to ignore a central fact of modern politics. Authoritarian repression can work only up to a point; dissent, like water, will find its outlet eventually. So, we sided with Sheikh Hasina well beyond what legitimate concerns warranted, and risked becoming a partisan actor in Bangladesh politics, not just on the side of one party but of authoritarianism. At the level of civil society and the media, we have refused to acknowledge the complexities of Bangladesh as a society….

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