As we draw closer to elections, politicians are going to talk about religion and its role in society and how they will defend the rights of every religious group of people. For people of religious minorities, this is significant as they look for an affirmation that their rights will be protected as determined by the Indian constitution.

Nearly 3 decades after independence, in 1976 ‘Secularism’ was inserted into the Constitution, and today manifestos of all parties affirm this belief but actions taken by those who represent those parties do not always reflect that belief.