The Listening Post

Episode: Inside India’s Expulsion of Bengali Muslims
Date: August 2, 2025
Host: Sam (Al Jazeera)

Overview

This episode of The Listening Post confronts the alarming mass expulsion of Bengali Muslims from India, specifically focusing on Assam, the political origins of the crackdown, and the role of the media in fueling anti-Muslim sentiment. The show dissects how political and media narratives contribute to the dehumanization of Muslims and examines broader patterns of media-state collusion, both in India and, by comparison, in the United States. The episode features insights from political experts, human rights advocates, demographic specialists, and media critics.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. The Roots of the Crackdown in Assam (00:59–04:14)

• Host's Framing: Sam opens with an account of inflammatory political language and disturbing news coverage in India. He sets the tone by characterizing the crackdowns and expulsions as symptomatic of a larger political campaign by the BJP government.

  • "Infiltrators, termites, bulldozer justice—the political rhetoric and news images coming out of India are beyond disturbing. And media outlets there are a big part of the problem." (00:59, Sam)

• Bureaucratic Genesis: The National Register of Citizens (NRC) update, initially a bureaucratic exercise, has paved the way for targeted disenfranchisement and deportations of Bengali Muslims—many of whom have lived in India for generations.

• Dehumanization and Demagoguery: Political leaders, particularly from the BJP, have consistently "othered" Bengali Muslims, branding them "infiltrators" and using terms like "termites" to refer to this minority (04:48, Indian Politics Expert).

2. Real-World Impact: Intimidation and Displacement (03:03–04:48)

• Atmosphere of Fear: Muslims, especially those speaking Bengali, are frequently stopped, questioned, and required to prove their citizenship under a presumption of guilt.

  • "If a person speaks Bengali, if he is of Muslim faith, he's picked up and he's asked to prove his or her citizenship." (03:40, Human Rights Advocate)

• Vigilante Reporting: Ordinary citizens have become enforcers, reporting Bengali speakers to authorities as suspected illegal immigrants.

  • "It was very often ordinary citizens were calling the cops and saying, you know, I saw a fruit vendor down the street speaking Bengali and I think he's a Bangladeshi immigrant." (04:14, Media Analyst)

3. The Media's Role in Amplifying Hate (04:48–06:50)

• Propagation of Conspiracy Theories: Major Indian news channels actively push narratives about a Muslim population threat and promote verification drives without critical scrutiny.

  • "Indian news anchors habitually justify the so-called verification process... while countless news channels delve into Hindu conspiracy theories about demographic replacement and Muslim birthing rates." (05:31, Indian Politics Expert)

• Manufacturing Consent: Experts stress that relentless, uncritical repetition of these themes in the media numbs viewers and entrenches majoritarian resentment.

  • "Because you so blindly regurgitate whatever is being said, what ends up happening is manufacturing of consent, right?" (05:58, Media Critic)

• Dehumanizing Language: The repeated use of "termites" and similar language is shown to strip away empathy and justify collective punishment.

  • "When you use words like termites, you dehumanize other human beings to such an extent that it no longer excites any compassion..." (06:50, Media Analyst)

4. The Myth of Hindu Victimhood (07:12–09:43)

• Population & Power Dynamics: With Hindus forming 80% of India’s population, the idea of Hindu victimhood is a media fabrication, designed to foster division.

  • "Demographically, Hindus are definitely in the majority. But more important than just numbers, culturally, socially, politically, educationally, in all of these spheres, Hindus are dominant. So this idea of the Hindu being under threat is a fake idea." (09:00, Media Analyst)

• Media Competition and State Influence: The intense competition among the 400+ TV channels, many reliant on government advertising, incentivizes support for the ruling party and their divisive narratives.

• Brainwashing at Scale: Friends and families report firsthand experiences of loved ones being affected by the all-consuming, manufactured outrage against Muslims.

  • "I've had friends who would tell me that, you know, my parents are getting brainwashed..." (09:43, Human Rights Advocate)

5. "Bulldozer Justice": Persecution Becomes Spectacle (10:17–12:49)

• Extrajudicial Punishments: Demolishing homes and mosques with bulldozers has become a public symbol of anti-Muslim governance, covered live by news outlets without questions of legality.

  • "The BJP and its supporters are now meeting out what they call bulldozer justice, bulldozers and excavators are being used to demolish mosques and the homes of so-called Muslim infiltrators..." (10:17, Indian Politics Expert)

• Mainstream Media Complicity: Rather than questioning, much of the press presents these actions as justified, amplifying a climate of impunity and Islamophobia.

  • "The framing of the story is so skewed and so problematic, and it is a result of years and years of dehumanization, which much of the Indian media has been complicit in." (11:53, Media Critic)

• Iconography of Oppression: The bulldozer is highlighted as a new, dangerously literal symbol for the ongoing campaign against Muslims.

  • "Now the bulldozer has become a symbol of Hindu nationalism." (12:17, Demographic Expert)

6. Comparisons Abroad: Media-State Collusion in the U.S. (14:20–25:22)

• Transition to U.S. Media Landscape: The episode segues into how political power and media influence intersect in America, particularly under Trump's administration. While topically distinct, the segment draws a parallel between suppression and manipulation of dissent in India and similar trends elsewhere.

• Key Interview – Alex Shepard (New Republic):

  • Shepard discusses unprecedented pressure on journalism, including lawsuits and regulatory intimidation under Trump's presidency.
  • CBS's settlement with Trump, forced elimination of DEI programs, and the imposition of a government-approved “ombudsman” mark the erosion of independent journalism.
  • "The institution is just being gutted wholesale...across divisions. But I think especially at CBS News." (16:04, Alex Shepard)

• Media Ownership Crisis: The discussion identifies economic and political pressure on major U.S news outlets and the chilling effect of billionaire and government interference.

• Crumbling Safeguards: Shepard argues the decline of institutional safeguards in democracies is not sudden, but the cumulative result of long-term rot in political, legal, and journalistic systems.

  • "The story of Trumpism is...one in which it's comforting to think that essentially this country was in good shape before he came along...but I think that's not really true." (23:13, Alex Shepard)

• Striking Parallels: Both the Indian and American contexts illustrate how powerful figures and parties manipulate media narratives to manufacture public consent, demonize minorities or opposition, and erode the foundations of independent journalism.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Political Branding of Expulsions:

  • "At an election rally in 2018, its home minister Amit Shah called Bengali Muslims termites, which is as pernicious as it gets." (04:48, Indian Politics Expert)

• Dehumanization Through Media:

  • "When you use words like termites, you dehumanize other human beings to such an extent that it no longer excites any compassion in you when that human is traumatized or attacked." (06:50, Media Analyst)

• On Manufactured Hindu Victimhood:

  • "It's a creation of victimhood that has been encouraged by television channels, influencers and social media. All of them saying the same thing, that the Hindu is under threat." (09:00, Media Analyst)

• On "Bulldozer Justice":

  • "This is a form of collective punishment that does not follow basic legal principles. It's a form of othering of Muslims, of which bulldozer action is one subset, citizenship questions is another subset, and so on." (11:21, Human Rights Advocate)
  • "Why is there no questioning of this term? How can it be bulldozer justice? Why is it not bulldozer oppression?" (11:53, Media Critic)

• The Crisis in US Newsrooms:

  • "CBS News is one of those institutions that's long branded itself as a news division that speaks truth to power. But...the institution is just being gutted wholesale." (16:04, Alex Shepard)
  • "What we have seen is instead...institutions that had been rotting to the point of near collapse for many years." (23:13, Alex Shepard)

Time-Stamped Segment Highlights

• 00:59–03:03: Host frames India's anti-Muslim crackdown, linking media complicity and political language.
• 03:03–05:18: First-hand accounts of discrimination, impact on Bengali Muslims, and normalizing abuses.
• 05:18–06:40: Media fueling and justifying collective punishment, with specific reference to on-air language.
• 06:40–09:43: The construction and consequences of the Hindu victim narrative.
• 09:43–12:49: “Bulldozer justice” and its adoption as a spectacle and symbol. Critical analysis of media complicity.
• 14:20–25:22: Comparative analysis; Alex Shepard discusses media-state entanglement in the U.S., underlining the global threat to journalistic independence.

Conclusion

The episode paints a multidimensional picture of how state power and mainstream media, through rhetoric, spectacle, and systemic pressure, have become active agents of communal division, dehumanization, and democratic erosion—both in India and internationally. The conversation challenges the myth of victimhood, exposes the machinery of mass consent, and issues a sobering warning about the state of independent journalism under political siege.