The perils of polarisation

This week, like many others, I too stood in solidarity with the five activists arrested on the suspicion that they were aiding and abetting Maoists. Immediately, my social media feeds erupted with opinions, many against — but some in favour of the arrests. I followed the events as they unfolded, wondering about their potential impact on our social fabric. The growing belief among minorities that the mainstream narrative is simply not inclusive enough is bound to have consequences. The fact that the state seems to be actively encouraging this polarisation isn’t helping much. Yesterday, a chance conversation with Murtaza, an