Emergent protest publics in India and Bangladesh : a comparative study of anti-corruption and Shahbag protests

In April 2011, in India, mass protests began against kleptocracy, electoral fraud, black money, and various other aspects of corruption. Protesters demanded the enactment and enforcement of strong legislation against perceived political corruption. Eventually, in 2013, the Anti-corruption Citizen’s Ombudsman Act (or the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act) was passed. In February 2013, in Bangladesh, mass protests started in the public square at Shahbag, Dhaka. Protesters demanded a ban against Jamaat-e-Islami, the radical Islamist group, and capital punishment for war criminals. They were convicted of committing crimes during the bloody 1971 war that won Bangladesh independence from Pakistan. During the war, the Pakistan army violated human rights and conducted genocide on a large scale. The protesters’ demands were partially successful. In both cases, a “protest public” emerged. Though not organized through any civil society organization or social movement, they successfully brought about sociopolitical transformations. In this paper we trace the emergence of “protest publics” in these two South Asian countries and analyze their emergence, demands, and characteristics.