A view is gaining traction that an international conspiracy is afoot to create instability in India through protests and chaos. This suspicion has come about in the wake of back-to-back protests in Delhi. In December 2019, protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act were started with Shaheen Bagh as the epicenter. The anti-CAA protests are likely to be resumed in the near future, once the pandemic evaporates. And farmers' protests have been ongoing, with the Republic Day violence as its lowest low.

As per geopolitical analyst Pathikrit Payne, there clearly is a pattern. "If in 2020, the Popular Front of India (PFI) was under the scanner for its alleged role in the funding of the anti-CAA riots, in the 2021 Republic Day rampage, the role of Khalistani organizations and the Communists is now out of the closet," he writes in an opinion article in News 18. The anti-CAA riots resulted in the death of 50 people, both Muslims and Hindus, in Delhi.

As per the former RAW chief Vikram Sood, events in Delhi over the past year are not disjointed activities by disgruntled individuals helped by opportunist politicians. "The nature of campaigns shows massive planning and financial support. This is no spontaneity but a concerted attempt. The goal is to create anarchy," he ponders.

In the past, the US and countries such as Russia intervened in Syria and other countries to create havoc, unmitigated violence, and ensure regime change. Something similar is suspected to be afoot. The key difference is that India is far more united than what international players think is the case.