Addressing Social Roots Of Communal Violence

The recent incident in Bareilly, where violence was allegedly instigated by members of the Hindu community against two Muslim men who had attended a friend’s party, raises troubling questions about social prejudice and communal intolerance. In response to this incident, the host reportedly questioned whether religion should determine personal relationships. Against this backdrop, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat proposed that citizens regularly read the Preamble and Fundamental Duties of the Constitution as a means to promote harmony. However, this suggestion appears vague and fails to address the deeper causes of such communal violence.

Awareness of constitutional values alone does not necessarily prevent discrimination based on religion, caste, or community. Individuals who are well-versed in constitutional principles can still harbour prejudices and act upon them. What truly sensitises people towards one another are personal values, moral upbringing, and a sense of shared humanity. Merely reading constitutional texts cannot magically transform inter-community attitudes. Instead, the cultivation of empathy, compassion, and social responsibility plays a far more meaningful role in fostering communal harmony.

Social and economic practices, along with administrative behaviour, significantly shape people’s mindsets and interactions. When individuals from different communities work, eat, and compete on equal footing, they begin to see each other beyond religious identities. Shared spaces such as workplaces, schools, and public institutions allow people to experience cooperation, care, competition, and mutual dependence. Such interactions humanise the ‘other’ and gradually blur rigid communal boundaries.

Equally important is the role of the administration. Differential treatment by the state—whether in punishment, rewards, or access to opportunities—can reinforce feelings of superiority or marginalisation among communities. Conversely, when laws are implemented impartially and individuals are treated equally regardless of religious identity, it sends a powerful message that religion is not the defining criterion of citizenship or human worth. Moreover, reducing socio-economic inequalities and ensuring equal status among communities can help dismantle entrenched hierarchies and the pride of dominance that often fuels communal conflict.

Rather than mandating the daily reading of constitutional values, the focus should be on their sincere and consistent implementation. Schools and workplaces, where diversity is naturally present, are crucial sites for nurturing social values and building a culture of harmony. Ensuring equal protection of rights, eliminating bias in governance, and uplifting backward and marginalised communities to an equal social and economic footing are more effective ways of addressing communal divisions.

In conclusion, communal harmony cannot be achieved through symbolic gestures alone. While constitutional values are essential, they must be lived and enforced rather than merely recited. True social cohesion emerges from equal opportunities, fair administration, shared social spaces, and the cultivation of humanity and empathy. Addressing structural inequalities and fostering meaningful inter-community interaction offers a more sustainable path towards reducing communal violence and strengthening India’s pluralistic fabric.