The complete title of the book under consideration is The ‘Joy Bangla’ Deception—Bangladeshi Islamism Under the Façade of Bengali Nationalism. I generally do not begin a book review with criticism. But this time I make an exception. The cover does not do justice to the book and its content. It does not capture the intensity of the work done by the two authors, Kausik Gangopadhyay and Devavrata. So, my first request to the readers is not to go by the dull, uninspiring cover; just grab a copy and study it, not just read it.

The book shook me up, like none other in recent times. I must confess that I, too, was going by the generally accepted narrative of Bangladeshi nationalism, the secular nature of Mujibur Rehman’s politics. I was not so much aware of the bloody trail of the history of Bengal, divided into East Pakistan and West Bengal, and the new avatar of the Muslim League’s two-nation theory—Bangladesh.

Abdul Mansur Ahmad, a Muslim Bengali leader, notes, after Bangladesh was created, “Neither Pakistan is broken by the liberation or Bangladesh, nor ‘Two Nation Theory’ was proven false. Instead of one Pakistan, two Pakistans have happened as per Lahore Resolution. The GOI has assisted us to realise the Lahore Resolution and we are grateful to them. The Lahore Resolution does not mention the word Pakistan, only ‘Muslim Majority state’."

If a person like me, who has done research on the northeast region of Bharat, which means I also had to study West Bengal and a little about East Pakistan (later Bangladesh), had only a limited idea about the ideology behind Awami League and the level of violent persecution of Hindus, I can imagine what an ordinary Indian knows. I was aware of Bouddh Chakmas but not to the extent that this book exposes. Hindu Bengalis of West Bengal may be aware, but they have chosen to gulp down the tablet called Amnesia to sleep well and forget about what their own families went through and what their unfortunate brethren are facing in Bangladesh even today. Tathagata Roy explains this mentality in his........

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