My friend, Mahesh Narayan Singh, whom I meet every morning while doing exercise, was visibly impressed by our Prime Minister’s knowledge of Sufi beliefs and practices. MN, as I call him, felt that PM Narendra Modi was very eloquent, enthusiastic and conciliatory during his recent address to a gathering of Muslims. That is a great change in attitude that Modi should share with his followers in India and even abroad.

The hate and divisiveness that have been the hallmark of the ruling dispensation since Modi took charge of the government in 2014 will take much time and effort to eradicate. They manifest themselves almost daily in one corner or the other of the country. The earlier intention may have been to win elections and usher in the rule of Hindutva, but Modi, being an intelligent mass leader, has realised that disunity will destroy India in the long run. Lately, he has been trying to correct the imbalance, especially after his numerous visits abroad.

I am doubtful if a leopard can change its spots at any time. When it needs the shelter of foliage to hide those spots from its prey, it will adjust its tactics accordingly. Our Prime Minister has introduced the hug, or the embrace, if you want to call it that, as a form of greeting when meeting other heads of state. That form of greeting has gone down well with rulers of Gulf nations that are overwhelmingly Islamic.

But the “modus vivendi” that once characterised relations between our Hindu and Muslim compatriots in India has suffered severe jolts in the last decade. In Mumbai, Mohalla Committee members, representing both major communities, continue to meet every month to foster understanding and friendship, but each has noticed the shift in attitudes and thinking of their brethren in their respective communities.

That is not surprising. Modi’s followers have targeted the minority community where it hurts the most – their very livelihood. Butchers and cattle traders have been put out of business, but even those who sell only vegetables, fruits or other commonly hawked goods have been specifically prevented from doing so at fairs, though they have been frequenting those places for generations.

In a small town on the outskirts of Mumbai, a person passing by a house on February 23, when the India-Pakistan cricket match was being played in Dubai, reported to the police as well as to his friends in the locality that a Muslim boy in that house was rooting for Pakistan. That prompted swift action by cops, who are often accused of lethargy.

The 15-year-old boy was detained and despatched to the reformatory for ‘correction’, while his parents were arrested for allegedly abusing the complainant.

The punitive action did not end there. The improvised shed which the boy’s parents had constructed to keep scrap (the father is a scrap dealer) was demolished by the panchayat without the 15-day notice mandated by the Supreme Court in a recent judgment. So great was the public anger, according to the authorities, that a similar shed constructed by the man’s brother was also reduced to rubble.

If such instances of rough and ready ‘justice’ are not manifestations of the new India proclaimed by the BJP, then what are? Wherever the BJP holds sway, the police, who are often slammed for inaction or belated action when children in schools are molested or young women raped, rush in when VHP or Bajrang Dal operatives complain of ‘anti-national’ activity of Muslim neighbours, as happened in this case.

On February 23, I was torn between my love for horse racing and cricket. I chose the latter simply because our team was taking on Pakistan. On Sundays, my immediate family meets over lunch. I rushed back home from my daughter’s dining table to see the first ball being bowled. (Incidentally, I could not reach home in time — one over had been bowled before I switched on the television).

On my way from my daughter’s home, I found the streets deserted. This happens whenever Indian and Pakistani teams meet on the cricket field. It is satisfying to assert our superiority in sports. The ancient Greeks thought on those lines when they introduced the Olympic Games, with Zeus, their principal god, looking down from heaven as the chief guest. Presumably, residents of Sparta, Crete and Macedonia, all Greek-speaking, were among the participants.

In view of the emotions that an India-Pakistan match evokes, it is not surprising that Hindutva enthusiasts, whose dislike of Muslims surpasses their enthusiasm for cricket, misuse the occasion to incite hatred.

What is unacceptable is that the police go to the extent of ignoring the law of the land, which has not criminalised the support of a lad for the underdog as an anti-national manifestation. Further, the action of the sarpanch and the officials who participated in the demolition of the irregular construction without following the proper procedure will surely attract “contempt of court” provisions even if it is felt that the police action of arresting the Muslim couple prevented communal riots.

The least that the government can do now is to carry forward Modi’s new agenda of better inter-community relations by allotting slivers of land to the father and uncle of the boy who was rooting for the losing team.