In a week where irony died a thousand deaths and was reincarnated just to die again, India -- yes, that India -- has taken it upon itself to lecture Bangladesh on the treatment of minorities.
That’s right, the world’s most populous democracy, ruled by a government that has made an Olympic sport out of persecuting its Muslim population, has expressed “concern” over the rights and safety of minorities in Bangladesh. We’re not sure whether to laugh, cry, or mail New Delhi a dictionary with the word “projection” highlighted in saffron-orange.
Let’s unpack this delightful cocktail of geo-political gaslighting, moral theatre, and regional blame games, all stirred -- never shaken -- by communal tensions.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs responded with righteous indignation to Bangladesh’s call for safeguarding Muslims in West Bengal. They claimed Dhaka’s comments were “illogical” and “covertly motivated.” One almost expects them to accuse Bangladesh of interfering in India’s internal affairs while, in the same breath, waxing eloquent about Hindu oppression in Sylhet, Khulna, and whichever Bangladeshi district is trending on WhatsApp that day.
This all began when communal violence erupted in Murshidabad, a Muslim-majority area in West Bengal. Protests over the controversial Waqf law led to bloodshed -- three people killed, properties torched, roads blocked. In the aftermath, Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, blamed “Bangladeshi miscreants” for the unrest. When in doubt, point east. Preferably over the Padma River.
Dhaka, understandably miffed at being dragged into the chaos like an unwilling extra in an Indian drama series, issued a strong rebuttal. “We urge the Indian government to ensure full security for its Muslim minority,” said Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the Chief Adviser. A diplomatic mic-drop, if you will.
India responded with fury: “How dare you highlight the treatment of Muslims here? That’s our job to ignore” they probably soliloquized. The sheer cheek of Bangladesh pointing out a smouldering elephant in the room (that happens to be wearing a tilak) apparently crossed a line.
Let’s get one thing straight. Bangladesh is no utopia. Incidents of communal violence have occurred -- especially against Hindus. Rights groups like Ain o Salish Kendra have documented these atrocities in painstaking detail: From land grabs to temple vandalism, it’s a grim record.
But here’s the difference: Bangladesh acknowledges the issue. Even the interim government under Mohammad Yunus, currently operating in post-Hasina political turbulence, has reported 88 minority-related cases and made 70 arrests in recent months. That’s not perfection -- it’s accountability.
Now, let’s look at India.
Between 2010 and 2017, 28 people were lynched in cow-related violence -- 24 of them Muslims. In 2024 alone, during the general election campaign, nine more Muslims were murdered in the name of cow protection. The cow seems to have more legal immunity than an average Muslim citizen.
Just last August, a teenage Muslim boy, Saabir Malik, was beaten to death in Haryana for allegedly carrying beef. Let that sink in. Allegedly. Carrying. Beef. Not drugs. Not explosives. But the flesh of a dead animal that is legally sold in multiple Indian states.
Let’s not forget the November 2024 killings in Uttar Pradesh, where three Muslims were lynched for opposing an archaeological survey of the historic Shahi Jama Masjid. Their crime? Daring to exist near a building Hindutva groups suspect was built atop a Hindu temple. No evidence, no due process -- just convenient medievalism.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh was arresting Hindu extremists for attacking a High Court after their monk leader was denied bail on charges of inciting communal hatred. The government moved swiftly to de-escalate the situation. Indian media, ever selective in its outrage, ignored the Muslim lawyer’s death and instead amplified claims of “Hindu persecution” with all the journalistic integrity of a WhatsApp forward.
In 2024, hate speech in India jumped by a staggering 74%, according to the Washington-based India Hate Lab. The data is damning. Of the 1,165 incidents recorded, 98.5% targeted Muslims. These weren’t whispers in dark corners. They were loud, public spectacles: rallies, political speeches, even cultural processions turned into hate-fests.
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh -- BJP strongholds -- accounted for nearly half of these incidents. In 340 of these events, the BJP was the official organizer. That’s a 580% increase from 2023. If hate speech were an export commodity, India could wipe out its trade deficit.
The prime minister himself, Narendra Modi, has been accused of using “divisive rhetoric” in election campaigns. The Election Commission of India even asked the BJP to remove social media content that “demonized Muslims.” But instead of soul-searching, the BJP dismissed the India Hate Lab’s findings as “anti-India propaganda” -- a line that conveniently doubles as their Tinder bio.
Let’s address the elephant in the polling booth: Minority issues in Bangladesh are a recurring theme in Indian elections -- especially in Assam, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. Bangladeshi “infiltrators” make great villains for campaign speeches and angry news anchors. But the irony is bitter: While Bangladesh struggles to protect minorities amidst chaos, India weaponizes the concept of minorities for electoral gains.
Whether it’s the National Register of Citizens (NRC) or the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), India’s bureaucratic labyrinth is designed to systematically exclude Muslims. In Assam, over 1.9 million people -- many Bengali-speaking Muslims -- were rendered stateless in 2019. But who needs citizenship when you can have a cow?
Bangladesh isn’t perfect. Let’s not pretend. But minorities in Bangladesh, for all the challenges, are not living under a regime that institutionalized hate. There’s no state-sponsored beef lynchings, no political parties running “love jihad” campaigns, no mobs demolishing mosques to build temples based on archaeological astrology.
When India slams Bangladesh for its minority record, it is not concern -- it is theatre. It’s like a compulsive arsonist chastizing someone else for poor fire safety while holding a jerry can and a lighter.
Worse, it damages regional ties. South Asia desperately needs cooperation, not competition in communal chaos. If India truly believes in being a regional leader, it must hold itself to higher standards. Moral grandstanding doesn’t mask moral rot
To paraphrase Shakespeare with a touch of sub-continental flair: “The cow protests too much, methinks.”
India’s attempts to drag Bangladesh over West Bengal violence are not just a diplomatic faux pas -- it’s a tragicomic reflection of a nation that has lost its moral compass while trying to point fingers. For India to lecture Bangladesh on minority rights is like Hasina offering marriage counseling (like she offered strange recipes in previous years) -- unqualified, unwanted, and slightly terrifying.
Let’s get real. The lives of minorities -- whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or Buddhist -- are too important to be used as pawns in political chess. And the people of South Asia deserve better than gaslighting, grandstanding, and gutter politics.
Dear India: Fix your house first. The hypocrisy is leaking through the walls.
HM Nazmul Alam is an academic, journalist, and political analyst. He can be reached at [email protected].
