When politics marries communalism

A book explores the political narrative around love jihad at ground zero, Uttar Pradesh

“Love jihad is an issue close to our hearts. How can any state tell its subjects who to marry and who not to? Adults have the right to choose their spouses,” write Mihir Srivastava and Raul Irani in their new book Love Jihadis: An Open-Minded Journey into the Heart of Western Uttar Pradesh. This collaborative work of non-fiction, supported with photographs from the field, is a cross between reportage and travelogue.

How does technology empower women in cloistered societies to create small windows of freedom for themselves? Who feels threatened by their economic independence and sexual autonomy? Why do they treat