A conflict can be called 'communal' if the opponent's national identity is not questioned. But the Hindutva project questions the very political and moral legitimacy of Muslims.

There is a lack of moral indignation in India. We are triggered if political leaders fake their education degrees or display ignorance in matters of technology, but condone their participation in some of the worst massacres in modern India.

In India, tacitly approved anti-minority violence by the State is passed off as a spontaneous clash between civilians. This attribution of visceral motivations to attackers has remained a successful strategy for politicians to shun accountability and wriggle out of inconvenient judicial trials.

Democratic governments must consistently, not opportunistically, recognise and censure social norms that celebrate inequality and discrimination.