Goa, May 25 -- SOTER D'SOUZA

The recent controversy surround ing the hate-filled remarks against a revered Catholic mis sionary saint was yet another flash point in Goa's struggle with communal rhetoric. At first glance, the outrage it generated appears to signal a society unwilling to tolerate bigotry. But a clos er look suggests something more trou bling; the reaction itself may be fuelling the tactics employed from the playbook of societal polarisation it claims to re sist. There is no doubt that the remarks were reprehensible. But how they were circulated, debated, and instrumental ised can enable a pattern that benefits forces investing in deepening societal divisions.

The cycle is by now familiar. An incendiary statement is made, ...