From Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and various pockets of the country, the festival of Holi became the platform to bring out the worst fissures of Indian society – religion, caste, and gender. The festival of colours and joy, heralding spring and new beginnings, falling on a Ramzan Friday, saw the local police in high-tension areas resort to foot patrolling and drone surveillance and the paramilitary doing flag marches to keep the peace.

This is not new to India, but the question Indians must ask themselves is: why should the celebration of a festival descend into aggressive sloganeering and blatant threats of violence, if not an immediate incident, against the........

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