ABSTRACT
Drawing on personal ground reportage undertaken for the web portal The Wire, this chapter critically examines the Delhi riots of February 2020 to understand the making of a riot and the diverse factors that shaped its execution and narrative. Employing the events that unfolded during the four days of unbridled looting and violence as a focal point, this chapter traces how xenophobic tendencies, which were at display during the riots, were meticulously cultivated against Muslims by the Hindu right-wing to advance its conservative anti-minority, ultra-nationalist political agenda. It also demonstrates how vital parts of the state machinery were complicit in the crimes that were unleashed during the riots. In conclusion, the chapter argues how a potent mix of religion, majoritarian culture, and nationalism has been systematically deployed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to reimagine and reconfigure the Indian nation-state bereft of its secular traditions while actively suppressing dissent and resistance emanating from various quarters.
