The writer paints a portrait of Emperor Ashoka as a man who first questions and even resists the creed he eventually embraces.

The proponents of Hindutva seek to replace India’s secular nationalism, which evolved through the freedom movement, with their version of Hindu cultural nationalism. With the state under their control now, they have unleashed a spate of violence against groups that are different, recalcitrant or do not want to abide by an attempted and forced assimilation to a monolithic construct.

However reluctant the government may be to admit to the fact, it is clear from the data that not only is India in the midst of the third wave but that it had begun in significant parts of the country in the first half of December. The latest surge suggests that this may not be the last one unless the government shapes policies accordingly.