Srinagar, June 14 -- By Nowsheen Mushtaq

India's public spaces tell the story of its democracy.

Streets become stages for wedding processions, political campaigns, religious festivals and cultural celebrations.

Traffic slows as wedding guests dance through city roads. Election rallies bring long convoys and roadshows that can occupy entire neighbourhoods for hours. Festival processions draw thousands into public spaces, often requiring extensive traffic diversions and police deployment.

Most Indians accept these disruptions as part of a diverse and vibrant society. They see them as expressions of faith, culture, community and democratic participation.

A different standard often emerges, however, when Muslims gather for Friday prayers...