In Modi’s India, is Secularism a Scarlet Letter?

When the word ‘secular’ was inserted into the Preamble of the Indian Constitution through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act in 1976, it merely formalized what was already embedded in the spirit of the nation. India had long been envisioned as a land where all religions coexisted, and the state maintained an impartial distance from religious affairs. However, nearly five decades later, this very principle ‘secularism’ is being questioned, distorted, and even vilified.

What does Secularism truly mean in India?

In the Indian context, secularism does not mean the absence of religion, it means the equal treatment of all religions by the state. The Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate their faith, and it bars the state from favoring or discriminating against any religion.

To me, being secular is not just a constitutional commitment, it’s a moral one. It’s the ability to look at another human being and not reduce them to their religious or caste identity. It is the courage to stand for justice regardless of who the victim is, even when doing so is unpopular or dangerous.

But today, being Secular is branded a crime.

In today’s India, standing for secularism can make you a target. Taking a stand based on humanity instead of religious lines is often seen not as virtuous, but as controversial or even anti-national.

Take the tragic case of Naval Officer Lt. Vinay Narwal, who was martyred in a recent terror attack in Pahalgam. In her grief, his wife made a heartfelt appeal, asking for "no hate towards Muslims or Kashmiris." Instead of being met with empathy, her plea was met with trolling, character assassination, and accusations of being “anti-national.” That a widow of a martyr must face hate simply for upholding the very values her husband died protecting is a chilling commentary on the times we live in.

Similarly, in Nainital, communal tensions flared, and a mob vandalized Muslim-owned shops. A young woman, Shaila Negi, chose to stand with the victims, condemning the violence. Her reward? Vicious online abuse. She was called a traitor and told to “go to Pakistan.” Her only ‘fault’ was her commitment to humanity over hate.

This pattern of intolerance is not one-sided. Ruby Asif Khan, a Muslim BJP leader from Aligarh, installed a Durga idol at her residence during Navaratri. She and her family were branded ‘kafirs' and threatened with violence. The idea that a Muslim woman could celebrate a Hindu festival was apparently too much for religious hardliners to tolerate.

Another disturbing case comes from Muzaffarnagar, where a Muslim woman was assaulted for simply being seen with a Hindu man. The message was clear: any interaction across religious lines, whether in compassion or companionship is to be punished.

The real enemy: Extremism, not religion

It is evident that the problem is not religion but how it is being manipulated. Extremists across communities are fanning hatred, turning religion from a private belief system into a weapon of division. The internet is filled with slurs meant to delegitimize voices of reason— sickular, libtard, pseudo-secular, urban Naxal, and more. These terms are not arguments; they are attempts to silence dissent and scare people into silence.

Those who try to bridge divides are treated as threats. Those who call for peace are branded as weak. And those who remain true to India's secular ethos are made to feel alien in their own homeland.

In this toxic environment, the real act of patriotism is not to chant slogans or wear identity on our sleeves, but to uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution. It takes far more courage to speak for the other than to shout down the opposition.

Secularism is not a western import or an elite fantasy, it is the soul of India. It’s what binds a Sikh soldier, a Hindu officer, a Muslim Doctor, a Christian teacher, a Jain entrepreneur, a Buddhist monk, and an atheist student under the same tricolor.