Model Question and Answers for APSC | The protests in Shahbag Square in Dhaka, Bangladesh, reveal a fundamental split in society between the nationalists and Islamic forces. What is its significance for India?

Ans: On 5 February 2013, protests began in Shahbag, Bangladesh, following demands for the execution of Abdul Quader Mollah, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment and convicted on five of six counts of war crimes by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (Abdul Quader Mollah allegedly helped pakistan in 1971 in invading bangladesh and prosecuted many bengali Islamist involving in war crime. Protesters considered Mollah's sentence too lenient given his crimes. Bloggers and online activists called for additional protests at Shahbag and joined the demonstration.

Significance for India:

• India needs to keep its borders safe in case there is violence between religious groups in As a result, there is a higher chance of violence along similar ethnic and cultural lines in India, and a lot of refugees are leaving conflict-torn parts of Bangladesh for the ethnically volatile states of North-east and West Bengal.
• It will make it harder for people to make a living and cause tensions between different groups. It will also make it easier for terrorists, separatists, and insurgents in India to smuggle goods, run guns, sell drugs, and make fake money in troubled border areas.
• If an Islamic fundamentalist government comes to power, it will force India to fight on two fronts, against both Pakistan and Bangladesh.