Historic Wounds Reopened: Communal Tensions Erode India's Social Fabric

Rewriting history to settle scores risks deepening communal divides in India. Can Places of Worship Act withstand assaults?

- ALI CHOUGULE

If history is a play of perspectives and interpretations, the pressing question is whether the present should be held hostage to a past that evokes memories of humiliation and subjugation. Nations that have reconciled with their history have managed to address conflicts through peaceful means, fostering social harmony and societal development. South Africa serves as a prime example, overcoming its apartheid past to achieve national unity and racial reconciliation. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for India and its immediate neighbours, where communal and sectarian conflicts, often fueled by political exploitation of societal fault lines, remain a cause for concern.

In India, medieval history has been a persistent source of communal discord, with grievances inflamed by right-wing Hindu elements. This has strained peace and disrupted social cohesion. Targeting the Muslim minority by revisiting divisive historical issues amounts to seeking revenge for perceived historical wrongs. Such actions not only subjugate an entire community but also pave the way for more conflicts and violence, as seen in Sambhal following the hasty survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. While the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) claims a moderate public posture, declaring that "there is no need to find a shivling in every mosque," its silence on incidents like the Sambhal violence or the attempted reclamation of Ajmer Sharif reveals a troubling duplicity.