Census, Hunter, Eaton: Essential reading on the Bengali Muslim

One of West Bengal’s most controversial poll seasons just concluded, with the Bharatiya Janata Party defeating the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government. 

This election season was different from the usual because of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls that preceded it. Thousands of voters found themselves disenfranchised, and the narrative of the ‘infiltrator’ was amplified several times over. Bearing the brunt of it all is a marginalised minority, the Bengali Muslims.

Now that polls are done, it's time for a quick history lesson. In this week’s What’s Your Ism, Sudipto Mondal and Dr Nadira Khatun offer insightful glimpses into Bengal history, especially that of its Muslim populace.

For the discussion, they rely on key texts, such as the 1871 Hunter Commission Report, the 1921 Census Report, Richard Eaton’s writings, and Navine Murshid’s ‘India’s Bangladesh Problem’.

Watch the full episode as Sudipto and Nadira engage in an in-depth and insightful discussion.