According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other territories and peoples.” This is a very simple and succinct definition of imperialism that captures the essential characteristics of the concept. While the notion or practice of imperialism is perhaps as old as human civilization, it gained prominence during the last four centuries because of European colonization. Although European colonization mostly came to an end after the second half of the twentieth century, it was replaced by American imperialism or neo-colonialism, i.e., economic colonization. Present-day imperialism is not reliant on territorial control; rather, a powerful and imperialist country exerts its control over a relatively less powerful one in a wide range of ways, including economic and cultural domination. This fluidity and flexibility of imperialism has ended Western monopoly in the global imperial marketplace, opening up “opportunities” for countries outside of the West, such as China, Russia, and India, to enter the race of imperialism, especially with the advent of neoliberalism. Against this backdrop, India, a former colonial country, while battling its own battles to overcome the colonial aftermath, has emerged as a regional imperial power, especially for its neighbouring countries. India’s rise as a new imperial power has entangled Bangladesh with a new form of imperial control, affecting the country’s sovereignty and peace, where killings of Bangladeshis in India-Bangladesh border indicate India’s treatment of Bangladesh as a colonial (imperial) subject.
Although Bangladesh had historical debts to India for its invaluable role in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, including accommodating millions of Bangladeshi refugees, it would not be an overstatement to assert that Bangladesh has overpaid those debts over the period of more than half a century, especially in the last fifteen years. While India’s imperial enterprise in Bangladesh is mostly economic, the recurring border killings of Bangladeshis by the Border Security Force (BSF) of India demonstrates the military power that the country exercises over its neighbour. Although the two countries have a historical relationship of many years, which is often described as a friendly one, there can hardly be seen any signs of friendship in the Indian Government’s treatment of Bangladesh, especially in the 4,096 kilometres border that the two countries share. While this hostility and the imperialist attitude from the government’s side may not reflect the overall attitude of general Indians to Bangladeshis, for there is still friendship between the people of these two neighbouring countries, now there is a growing anti-Indian sentiment in Bangladesh to protest India’s imperialist treatment. Even during the reign of India’s favourite Sheikh Hasina, the former dictatorial Prime Minister of Bangladesh, who was deposed of her office on 5 August 2024 through a student-led mass movement, killings in the India-Bangladesh border by BSF has been a regular incident. After the fall of their pet government in Bangladesh, who is alleged to have entertained all of India’s interests to stay in power, India seems to have become very cautious about the situation in Bangladesh and more active than ever before to maintain its dominance over the country.
Recent killings of two teenager Bangladeshis, Shwarna Das and Jayanta Kumar Shing, by BSF in India-Bangladesh border and blaming Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) for the killings in Indian media indicate India’s desperation to maintain its imperial control over Bangladesh after the fall of Hasina, whom they are sheltering at the moment, probably with an evil intention of reinstating her in Bangladeshi politics. Being fully aware of the rise of political consciousness among Bangladeshis through the recent mass-uprising, who are holding India responsible for lots of ongoing crises in Bangladesh, including the latest floods, India seems to have decided to deploy negative or Machiavellianstrategies to face the challenges of the changed reality. For this reason, rather than restraining themselves from using lethal weapons in the border, which the present circumstances demand, they are deliberately continuing the killings to show utter disregard to the rightful and logical expectations of Bangladeshis, as well as to display their muscle power. India’s despicable stand on such killings is reflected on their post-killing reactions, evincing their imperialist attitude, while a more rational and humane course of action would be to initiate proper probing into each killing and bring the culprits to justice, adopting adequate measures to stop such killings permanently.
Whereas the present situation could be a great opportunity for India to rebuild their relationship with Bangladesh based on mutual interests and respects, leaving behind the exploitative past, they are spoiling that opportunity by attempting to encroach into the internal affairs of Bangladesh on the pretext of protecting Hindus by inflating as well as falsifying the attacks on them after the fall of Hasina. While it is undeniable that Hindus have been attacked, and it is the responsibility of Bangladesh Government, as well as of its people, to protect each individual, including Hindus, India has no right to exploit the present volatile situation of Bangladesh for their, as well as for Awami League’s, political gains. Despite being such a big country, India is playing very mean political and diplomatic games. It is evident that the present Indian Government does not care about how the recent border killings have enraged Bangladeshis, but they can no longer overlook the fact that their imperialism in Bangladesh is coming to an end. The earlier they realize that, and act accordingly, is better for the people of the two countries, as well as for regional peace.
Rakibul Hasan Khan is a Bangladeshi academic, poet, and writer based in New Zealand, where he works as a tutor in English at the University of Otago. He can be reached at [email protected].