Rajasthan state may be moving toward the Hindu-Muslim violence that has plagued nearby Gujarat the last couple of years. The state government intends to introduce a ban on the traditional Hindu religious icon, the trident, supposedly to protect Muslims. Hindu organizations adamantly oppose such a move and have vowed to fight it. Hindu activists claim to have distributed some 70,000 tridents in the state in the last two months, a time when Hindu-Muslim tensions have been increasing. These tensions could spark at any time, especially if the trident ban goes into effect.
