Images of bloody communal violence have scarred Delhi. The violence comes barely weeks after a shrill and polarised election campaign in which anti-CAA protesters became the target of incendiary rhetoric by top politicians. When politicians described protesters as “desh ke gaddar” (traitors) the message was clear: there would be no reach out, instead, there would be confrontation. When leaders preach violence, they give permission to footsoldiers and street confrontation is precisely what has happened, pitting Hindu against Muslim.
The politics of confrontation is not limited to Delhi. In Bengaluru a young citizen has been slapped with sedition charges simply for chanting a slogan. According to a Crime in India report, sedition cases were slapped 156 times during 2016-18. Since the anti-CAA Read More