In present day India, it isn't hard for anyone to miss the fact that polarisation in the country, particularly along religious lines, is at alarming levels. However, from time to time, everyday occurrences of casual bigotry are brought to the fore by conscientious citizens on social media.
On Tuesday, Shaik Salauddin, chairman of the Telangana State Taxi and Drivers JAC, shared a screengrab of a particular instruction left by a customer using the popular food delivery app Swiggy.
The instruction, filed under the section 'How to Reach', reads: "Don’t want a Muslim delivery person."
Salauddin further requested that Swiggy take an appropriate stand against such a blatantly bigoted customer, although the food aggregator is yet to respond to the incident.
Does food have a religion?
No, it does not.
Food has no religion. The delivery executive’s religious faith should never become a bone of contention.
India is a religiously pluralistic and multiethnic democracy – the largest in the world. Its constitution provides for freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practice and propagate religion.
India also has experienced “very high” levels of religion-related social hostilities in the past decade. In recent years, there has been a surge in mob attacks by Hindu vigilante groups against Dalit and Muslim consumers and traders in the beef, dairy and leather industries.
These are all worrying trends, and extremely deleterious to the fabric of Indian society.
