← All questionsGS2 · 2013 · International Relations ·Shahbag Protests and India
MAINS 2013
GS2
10 marks

The protests in Shahbag Square in Dhaka reveal a fundamental split in society between nationalists and Islamic forces. What is its significance for India?

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7 min
200 words

What the examiner wants

Explain the nationalist-Islamist split shown by Shahbag and what it means for India.

What is its significanceAnswer exactly what the question asks.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Shahbag (Feb 2013): youth demanded death penalty for 1971 war criminal Abdul Quader Mollah; secular Bengali nationalism≈35 words
  2. 2Counter-mobilisation: Hefazat-e-Islam's 13-point demands and Motijheel rally (May 2013); Jamaat-e-Islami violence≈35 words
  3. 3For India: a secular government aids action against North-East insurgents, transit, land and maritime boundary deals≈35 words
  4. 4Risks: radicalisation spilling across the border, attacks on minorities, refugee flows, anti-India sentiment≈35 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

What Shahbag wasThe counter-forceSplit in societySecurity and economic significance for IndiaPolicy

Where marks usually go

  • Describing the protests without the India angle
  • Calling it simply pro-India vs anti-India

Draw this

  • Two-column chart: Shahbag demands vs Hefazat demands, with India's interests below

Value addition

  • EventAbdul Quader Mollah was executed in December 2013 after the Supreme Court enhanced his sentence.Bangladesh Supreme Court, 2013
  • AgreementLand Boundary Agreement implemented in 2015 via India's 100th Constitutional Amendment.Constitution (100th Amendment) Act, 2015

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