Bangladesh in midst of cyclic geopolitics, India must guard border in Northeast: India's partition historian

Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Banerji said, “As of now India Border needs to be closed for business…to be slowly loosened as the situation permits. At the same time there needs to be an increased strategic reconnaissance on our western borders as well.”

Mr Banerji has authored Liminal Tides in the backdrop of India’s partition in 1947. On the apprehensions of a new wave of exodus, which has also been raised in parliament by MPs from the Northeast, Mr Banerji said, “Don’t you think India should be already very well prepared for this exodus, having an experience of more than half a century on this movement, in varying velocities? Isn’t there a raison d’etre on why the issue of CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) continues to visit our dispensation?”

Mr Banerji underlined that the “current situation (in Bangladesh) of a very well-orchestrated coupe has catalysed and given a more structured approach to such attacks”. Sensing a revisit of the events leading to the partition, the historian said, “I find it to be a subset of the initial Partition of 1947, however, this time over, the sufferer might be one community, the Hindus. Hopefully with no tit for tat and escalations to a higher level.” Mr Banerji called upon the government for “strategic containment” to deal with the situation in Bangladesh.

Reflecting on the events in Bangladesh in the aftermath of the violent students’ protests, the historian said, “2024 seems to be a desired nemesis by some stakeholders. It is very easy to plant negative and destructive sentiments in a mass of people and transform them into a mob frenzy to fulfil certain objectives. Presume that might be the case here.”

Mr Banerji said that the ouster of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was the result of “cyclic geopolitics”. “1947 was a hard-fought Partition which bled the unified British India at both ends…West as well as East. As a matter-of-fact East had already seen a partition, before the final cut. And in 1947 it was on religious lines,” reflected the historian.

He stated that while “1971 was an assisted partition of Pakistan, this time. I would refer it to be a course correction of an aberration, with economic and linguistic ramifications”.

Stating that Pakistan still carries the “bitter and poisonous memories”, the historian warned that “the gory narrative had not yet ended”. He argued that there could be attempts to “create a New Bangladesh which resembles their cousins more…if not get them back into their own fold”.

Explaining his advocacy of “strategic containment”, Mr Banerji called for “continuous monitoring of the situation on ground to assist Bangladesh to stabilise”. He also called for “a ringfence of like minded allies, with commonality of interests, to form an association of protection for Bangladesh, in not being manipulated further towards a negative trajectory”.