The communal violence that erupted on March 30 in Howrah is just one of the many shameful incidents that the country has witnessed in recent years. Following the incident, political mudslinging among parties is in full swing, and the investigative focus is on tracing the culprits, which should be an obvious course. But the Howrah violence can be viewed through two perspectives — as an isolated incident, or as a fresh link in the chain of communally hostile events witnessed across the country. It can be seen through both perspectives at the same time as well. The relevance of the distinction lies in the difference of solutions that both the types require. If the crime is seen through an isolated lens, then, in the best case scenario, culprits can be traced and brought to books. It would be important to assess the extent of positive effect this will have on the overall gloomy scenario of increasing communal disharmony in the country. One thing, however, is certain, to reverse the broader trend of growing communal hostility, a deep and objective understanding of the genesis and the ambience behind such incidents is required. Owing to misleading political manoeuvrings, the level of religious discourse has hit the nadir in the country. Without the risk of exaggerating, it can be said that people’s strong religious emotions have been manipulated in the wrong direction, much to the detriment of peace and harmony in the nation. Thanks to the religious activism shown by certain parties, it has become inevitable for others to join the rat race. It is this disastrous ambience of tapping people’s religious sentiments and selling the same in the market of votes which is hurting the polity, society and religion the most. If one were to believe in the existence of Ram, it is him, the almighty, who would be most aggrieved to see the goons shattering the essence of the religion he is epitome of, in his very own name! It is this negative ambience that has been in the making for nearly a decade, and is now getting ready to engulf the idea of India, the idea of togetherness. All of a sudden, India’s cry for promoting and maintaining global fraternity appears to be a farce. For a country that is struggling to retain its long-cherished idea of fraternity internally, being a purveyor of global fraternity seems to be an uphill task. While the intensity shown for concrete actions in Howrah violence case is a positive sign, the state government would do well to work on the abstracts as well, which will be a more onerous task. Validating the mutual claims of complicity of the other party, though important, will achieve little in restoring peace in the long run. Afterall, it is not the first time that the region has witnessed such riots. The Hindu cited RTI activist Biswanath Goswami, stating that 59 cases of rioting were recorded in Howrah in only 18 months between 2021 and June 2022. Ram Navami-related incidents are also a common thing in the region. Given that the incident was not completely unpredictable, the state police has indeed failed badly in discharge of its duties. The state administration needs to take stern action against the culprits. The probe now rests in the hands of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police. The Union Home Ministry, which is learnt to have coordinated with the Governor on the matter, is also keeping a close eye on the developments. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has held the BJP and other right-wing organisations responsible for the violence while the BJP leaders have counter-alleged the TMC to be responsible for the incident. News reports suggest that the BJP might be contemplating to demand for a probe by the National Investigation Agency. That would be an unwise thing to do, as maintaining law-and-order is under the state's jurisdiction. By and large, normalcy is reported to have been restored in the region, and it is relieving to see that Mamata Banerjee has assured “all possible assistance” to those whose houses or shops have been vandalised in the clashes. Further efforts should be made to minimise the impact on the lives and psyche of the affected persons. Also, parallel to the probe in the particular matter, the state government should strategize sincerely to reverse the trend of growing communal disharmony in society, setting a template for other regions of the country.