S. Jaishankar

21 October 2026 | Analysis This explainer examines selected major protest movements from 2022 to October 2026, with Sri Lanka’s early-2022 crisis included as essential background. It is not a census of every demonstration, and historical episodes described here should not be read as ongoing emergencies. From Dhaka and Colombo to Paris and London, street movements have raised different demands: affordable essentials, fair access to jobs, accountable government, civil liberties and changes to public policy. Peaceful demonstrations, strikes, violent disorder and armed conflict must be distinguished. Their consequences for India depend on geography, trade links and the authorities’ response, rather than crowd size alone. Bangladesh, 2024: Student protests against public-service job quotas developed into a broader challenge to governance. Sheikh Hasina left for India on 5 August. A subsequent UN investigation found systematic repression by the former government and security apparatus. The investigation’s findings should be attributed to the UN, rather than treated as individual criminal convictions. Sri Lanka, 2022: Food, fuel and medicine shortages, power cuts and a foreign-exchange…