More than his own torture, he told me, it was the torment of others that made him restless. And there were times when he wanted to join them. The old city swarmed with agents fishing for recruits. “Murad said: ‘I seriously thought about becoming a terrorist.’ He could have, he said. Malevolent Republic: A Short History of the New India The mobs that slaughtered ‘bad’ Muslims will eventually come for Hindus who are not ‘good’.” Loya, a perfectly healthy judge, can abruptly drop dead if a young woman can be stalked by the police machinery of the state because Modi has displayed an interest in her-what makes the rest of us think we will remain untouched and unharmed? Unless the republic is reclaimed, the time will come when all of us will be one incorrect meal, one interfaith romance, one unfortunate misstep away from being extinguished. If Ehsan Jafri, a former member of parliament with a line to the deputy prime minister’s office, could be dragged out of his home and gashed and burned alive, what makes anyone think he or she will remain unharmed? If Aamir Khan, one of India’s biggest film stars, can be unpersoned if Gauri Lankesh, one of its boldest journalists, can be shot dead if Ramachandra Guha, one of its greatest historians, can be stopped from lecturing if Naseeruddin Shah, among its finest actors, can be branded a traitor if Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister, can be labelled an agent of Pakistan by his successor if B.H.

All those who believe they will remain untouched by its wrath are delusional.

Malevolent republic