Rising social tensions in India!

By M.Y.Siddiqui

Social tensions in India are currently driven by a combination of identity based conflicts, economic disparities, and digital-age challenges. Recent reports indicate a rise in communal tension, with some studies noting a significant increase in incidents of communal violence, mob lynching, and hate crimes. Key drivers include the politicization of religion, caste discrimination, and economic anxieties. Besides, the RSS union government’s players and movers are fueling rising social tensions through their rhetorical, communal, religious polarizing, divisive, and discriminatory practices.

Government policies and majoritarian ideologies are increasingly seen as drivers of social tensions in the country, sparking concerns over religious polarization, freedom of expression, and marginalization of minority groups. Conversely, authorities emphasise their focus on maintaining law and order while expanding welfare programmes to combat economic disparities. The role of the state, in current scenario, in shaping and managing social tensions is a highly debated topic across the country. Drivers of social tensions and institutional bias include religious and majoritarian politics, civil society crackdowns and institutional imbalance. Oversight institutions and the criminal justice system are increasingly seen to reflect government bias, often shielding supporters while strictly prosecuting critics.

Major drivers of social tension are communal polarization, caste-based conflicts, economic disparity, unemployment, identity, regionalism, and digital misinformation. Communalism is often fueled by the exploitation of religious identity for electoral gain, impacting social cohesion. Recent reports suggest a rise in targeted violence against religious minorities, including Muslims and Christians. Incidents generally stem from disputes over places of worship and allegations of cow vigilantism. Caste discrimination remains a persistent issue, with studies showing an increase in crimes against Scheduled Castes (SC). These conflicts are rooted in deep-seated social hierarchies.

Other important factors include identity and regionalism. Tensions are arising from increased focus on ethnic and regional identities, sometimes leading to conflict over resources and employment, particularly in high-density areas. Digital misinformation (social media) platforms are spreading the fake news, hate speech, and manipulated videos, which often act as catalysts for communal riots and violence.

Key conflict areas and themes for rising social tensions during 2024-2026 comprise Manipur violence, regional and religious tensions, legislative disputes, and students and youth discontent. Continued violence in Manipur has raised concerns about the government’s response to ethnic conflicts, with United Nations (UN) experts noting slow and inadequate action in previous reports. Specific incidents have included riots over contested places of worship and mob lynching, with a high proportion of victims belonging to minority communities. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and related protests have highlighted divisions over citizenship and immigration policies. While some youth back the ruling Sangh Pariwar, many face anxieties over jobs and are increasingly defining themselves through religious and cultural identities.

Factors exacerbating social tensions are weak and partisan enforcement of laws and delays in justice, increasing feeling of impunity, worsening social frictions, political exploitation of religious and caste divisions during elections, fostering an “us vs. them” narrative, sensationalized news and targeted disinformation campaigns, contributing to the rising tense atmosphere.

These pressures have led to concerns about the impact on India’s secular (religion-neutral) fabric, prompting calls for better policy, education, and protection of vulnerable sections of people!

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