Abu Rushd
M. Zakir Hossain Khan
Salman ChowdhuryThe July Revolution in Bangladesh speaks of unparalleled courage and unity against the distorted narrative of Indian media. This was no armed uprising but an unarmed revolt by the youth, men and women of all faiths against a regime that had weapons of war.
Over 20 harrowing days, Sheikh Hasina’s regime unleashed military-grade brutality. Armed with APCs, mine-resistant vehicles, helicopters, sub-machine guns, and snipers, security forces turned cities into battlegrounds. More than 1,500 civilians were killed, including 32 children—an average of 75 deaths a day. Thousands more were maimed or scarred by targeted violence as homes were bombarded, activists abducted, and families torn apart. Yet, the people stood undeterred. There were Hindus among the martyrs who were killed by the police and Chhatra League goons during the July mass uprising.
What puts the July Revolution in a special category is the spirit of unity and resilience. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians stood together, protecting each other’s communities where the rule of law had broken down. Hindu-Muslim solidarity, as seen in the protection of temples, brought back hope in common humanity.
Instead of seeking vengeance, the revolutionaries chose reconciliation by naming Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus as the head of the interim government–an unambiguous indication of their commitment to democracy and peaceful governance.
No matter what, Indian people have, and will always have, the right to talk, think and critique about anything relating to Bangladesh, and rightfully so due to our long history of friendship. But, contrary to India’s media propaganda, the revolution is no threat to India or its people. It is a threat to tyranny, to authoritarian regimes thriving on division, fear, and oppression that the people of India are struggling against for over a decade now. For Modi’s administration, which capitalizes on religious polarization and suppression of dissent, the July Revolution is a warning that entrenched regimes, no matter how powerful, crumble under the collective will of a united people.
The Real Threat to India’s National Security: Modi’s Policies, Not Bangladesh’s Revolution
If the Modi-aligned media is to be believed, then Bangladesh’s July Revolution should be portrayed as a threat. But the stark reality is this: The biggest threat to India’s national security and sovereignty comes not from its neighbors but from within its leadership. India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has experienced continued erosion of the democratic bases of its governance, its economic independence, and its regional credibility. Let us unpack why.
Indian Economy vs Adani: India’s economic landscape under Modi has been increasingly entwined with interests of conglomerates like the Adani Group; crony capitalism that has graduated to being a national security risk.
Monopolization of Key Sectors: The Adani group now controls 13 major ports—accounting for 30% of India’s port traffic and 7 airports with 23% of passenger traffic. The near-monopoly not only creates economic vulnerabilities but also exposes critical infrastructure to concentrated control, thereby bringing up red flags over national security.
Corruption Abroad: The US Department of Justice has charged Adani and his associates with bribery schemes amounting to 265 million dollars across solar energy projects. More globally, Adani means corruption, and that is bad news for India’s reputation as a trustworthy trade and investment partner.
China Links: Rahul Gandhi recently pointed out that Adani has been deepening his financial and logistical connections with Chinese entities. With Beijing’s aggressive posturing in the region, these links raise grave concerns about potential vulnerabilities in India’s strategic sectors. (Source)
By allowing economic captors like Adani to run riot, the Modi government is making India a modern version of the British East India Company era—captive to corporate greed, vulnerable to external influences, and distant from its people’s needs.
Foreign Policy of Siding with the Tyranny: Modi’s foreign policy, far from strengthening India’s regional standing, has placed the nation on the wrong side of history repeatedly.
Sheikh Hasina’s Rule: The Modi government, by implication, supported Hasina, whose regime, in an organized manner, subjugated minorities, most specifically Hindus. The irony of the Modi administration’s silence on this repression goes against its stated credentials of pro-Hindu advocacy worldwide. Indeed, Hasina’s infrastructure deals with Chinese companies, some located near Indian borders, even exacerbate security concerns. Examples include plans to expand the Chittagong Port under Chinese management, which could have dual military use threatening India.
Alliances with such oppressive regimes as Myanmar’s junta, Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksa, and Bangladesh’s Hasina have brought India’s credibility as a champion of democracy and human rights to all-time lows. India’s partnerships with them only take away its moral authority and alienate its democratic allies across the world.
Fragile Northeastern States: The destabilizing effects of Hasina’s policies, combined with unchecked Chinese influence in Bangladesh, is alleged to have an adverse national security effect into India’s northeastern states, particularly Manipur and Mizoram. Yet Modi’s administration has offered little beyond empty rhetoric to address the root causes of unrest in these regions.
Dividing India from Within:
While the Modi media machine distracts the public with manufactured foreign threats, the true crisis lies at home.
Communal Polarization: Modi’s BJP thrives on dividing Indians along religious and caste lines. This strategy of marginalization weakens the nation’s internal cohesion and distracts from pressing economic and security challenges.
Erosion of Democracy: India has fallen to the 53rd position in the Democracy Index under Modi’s regime. Journalists, activists, and even elected representatives face harassment and persecution, undermining the democratic spirit India once championed globally.
The People’s Verdict: Who’s the Real Threat? India’s citizens must ask: Who truly threatens their security and democracy? Is it a peaceful revolution in Bangladesh that inspires democratic resurgence? Or is it Modi’s regime, which prioritizes corporate cronies over citizens, divides communities for political gain, and allies with oppressive regimes abroad? The people of the world’s largest democracy deserve leadership that strengthens institutions, protects sovereignty, and unites its citizens. The July Revolution in Bangladesh is no threat to India; rather, it is a mirror reflecting the courage of people who refused to bow down to tyranny. If anything, it should inspire Indians to reclaim their democratic ideals.
Bangladesh’s July Revolution: A Mirror of Indian People’s Aspiration
Indian media outlets, like Republic TV and Zee News, have gone to great lengths to frame the July Revolution as anti-India. But this narrative is a deliberate distortion. The revolution is not a rejection of India; it’s a rejection of authoritarianism.
Consider, for instance, the Shaheen Bagh protests in 2020, wherein Indian citizens, led largely by women, stood against the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Much like Bangladesh’s revolution, these protests were about taking back democracy from those who would seek to undermine it. The parallels are rather obvious—and maybe even the reason why the Modi administration feels threatened by the success of the July Revolution in Bangladesh.
The power of the July Revolution lies in its stories that recall the everyday fight of Indian people and their aspirations against repression. These are not just tales of resistance; they are blueprints of change that challenge Modi’s status quo.
Nargis Akhtar, 25, organized shelter for wounded protesters under death threats. Her defiance is the same as that of Indian activists like Disha Ravi, who was detained for her support to farmers’ movement.
Amirul Islam, a factory worker, became something of a hero in his community by organizing food supplies during internet blackouts. His story has parallels to India’s migrant workers from Scheduled Castes (SCs), who were left for dead in the COVID-19 lockdowns but organized their mutual aid networks to survive.
After all, the protesters who led Bangladesh’s July Movement did not rise against any other nation; they rose against oppression within their own borders. They fought for dignity, justice, and democracy—values that resonate with ordinary Indians, who increasingly realizes the divisive policies of their own government.
The July Revolution is Real Threat to Modi’s Model
The July Revolution undercuts the Modi governance model in at least three fundamental ways;
1. Unity vs. Division: The revolution united people across religious, economic, and social divides. In contrast, Modi’s BJP thrives on polarization, portraying Muslims and other minorities as “others” to consolidate Hindu nationalist support. The revolution’s success shows that unity, not division, is the real path to strength.
2. Accountability vs. Impunity: While Modi’s government silences dissent with arrests and raids, the July Revolution emphasized transparency, accountability and justice. Its interim government, led by Dr. Yunus, has prioritized inclusive governance and justice for victims of past abuses—setting a powerful example of what democratic leadership can achieve.
3. Empowerment vs. Fear: Modi rule is based on suppressing dissent through fear—be it through censorship of journalists or weaponization of police forces. The revolution showed that fear is not invincible as it empowered regular citizens to stand up against repression.
Why the Propaganda Is Dangerous
By framing the July Revolution as anti-India, Modi’s administration isn’t just distorting reality—it is deepening divisions. This propaganda not only misrepresents Bangladesh’s struggle but also distracts Indians from their own fight for justice and equality.
For instance, the BJP’s narrative falsely claims that the revolution destabilizes the region. In truth, Bangladesh’s democratic revival strengthens South Asia by promoting transparency, accountability, integrity, and resilience against authoritarian contagion and vantages the aggrieved voices.
Moreover, the focus on Bangladesh serves as a smokescreen to divert attention from domestic issues—rising unemployment, declining press freedom, and worsening communal tensions.
It’s up to the People of India to Decide: Truth or Propaganda?
The July Revolution of Bangladesh is a threat—not to the sovereignty or stability of India, but rather to systems of oppression, regimes that thrive on fear, and leaders who resist accountability. Of course, the post revolution interim government is facing difficulties with economy, attacks on minorities, critical law and order situation and that too is largely because of Hasina and her supporter’s instigation, funding and subversive activities. However, the interim government is working relentlessly towards bringing solution through national consensus through political and religious unification.
Now it is for the Indian people, the heirs to the rich legacy of democracy and pluralism, to judge the truth. Will they believe the truth etched in the blood of Bangladeshi revolutionaries or the distorted narratives of what many call “Godi Media”?
Democratic values have come under siege in India itself under the Narendra Modi regime. Reports by Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders have documented the slide into authoritarian practices. Religious polarization, suppression of dissent, erosion of press freedom—all these have been hallmarks of the Modi era. Hate speech, religious violence, and marginalization of minorities are now part of the discourse.
In that context, hosting Sheikh Hasina—a tyrant and a cold-blooded killer known for gross human rights violations, including the killing of over 1,500 civilians in just 20 days—raises uncomfortable questions. How can a country that once championed democratic ideals offer refuge to a tyrant whose crimes are well documented globally? Given the unchecked partnership Hasina had with China in regards to infrastructure contracts in locations of strategic concern for India, a question could be rightfully raised whether Modi regime is really safe-housing Hasina just because she is long “standing ally” or to hide some disturbing dark truth about India’s national security and the current crisis India’s north-eastern states?
The people of India must ask themselves: Does it stand with a media and a leadership that thrive on divisive politics, or does it stand with a movement that exemplifies the ideals of freedom, justice, and unity? Supporting the July Revolution is not geopolitics; it’s supporting values that India has long claimed to stand for.
By ignoring the realities of Bangladesh’s July Revolution, Indian people risk something far more fundamental: compromising its standing as the world’s largest democracy. Silence in the face of Hasina’s atrocities is a betrayal of the very principles that define Indian culture: communal harmony, justice, and the right to self-determination. It is for the people of India to decide whether they want to be propagandized or stand with a nation that seeks to rebuild for a better tomorrow. The world is watching, and history will be the judge.
