Dr Amalendu De , a retired Guru Nanak Professor of History in Jadavpur University in the Indian state of West Bengal and an expert on Bangladesh affairs says that the government and the political parties in Bangladesh have failed to realize the ideals and spirit of the War of Independence like democracy and secularism. In an exclusive interview with VOA, Professor De says that this failure has resulted in the growth of religious fanaticism and the domination of the forces against the ideals on which Bangladesh was established. He said that the influence of the civil society comprising intellectuals and free thinkers is essentially limited to the urban areas while in the villages the leaders of mosques and madrasas are influencing the society. Professor Dey apprehended that the rise of Islamic militancy in Bangladesh can influence the Muslims of the restive north east India.
