In East Sagarpur, southwest Delhi, a narrow lane has become a widening fault line. On one side of Gali No. 8 sits a largely Muslim-populated jhuggi; on the other, a colony of mostly Hindu homes. Between them lies a small DDA park – and, over 10 days in late June and early July, that park has become the flashpoint for communal unrest that residents say has left the neighbourhood more polarised than before.

The trigger, allegedly, was a flag.

On Friday, June 26 – the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram – certain accounts circulated CCTV footage showing a child waving a flag near the park. Locals in the slum said it was a green flag with a white crescent and star that is routinely displayed at Muslim festivals. But Hindutva activists insisted it was a Pakistani flag.

Separately, there were objections to an Alam – a flagpole raised during Muharram – that had been erected at the DDA park.

The next day, June 27, Vipin Rajput, a Hindutva activist, filed a written complaint at Sagarpur police station. He alleged that a Pakistani flag had been waved and objected to the presence of the Alam at the park. Rajput said the police did not act.

Then the situation spiralled.

June 30: Hanuman Chalisa and violence

On Tuesday, June 30, between 7 and 8 pm, Hindutva activists gathered at the same DDA park, saying they would recite the........

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