Is India really moving towards the spectre of violence against its Muslim citizens, as recently warned by actor Prakash Raj? This troubling question cannot be dismissed lightly, especially in the context of recent remarks by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, which appeared to glorify the idea of “revenge” and implicitly encouraged Hindus to settle scores for incidents that occurred centuries ago. Such rhetoric, coming from one of the country’s most powerful security officials, is deeply alarming and deserves serious reflection.On a personal level, Doval’s statements were profoundly unsettling. I have known him for a long time, well before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He would often visit Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Sahab, and the two spent long hours discussing politics, governance and the future of the country. The man my father engaged with so closely did not strike me as someone driven by communal thinking. It is difficult to reconcile that image with a senior official today invoking historical grievances to inflame present-day passions.What is most disturbing is that if someone as educated, experienced and seemingly emancipated as Doval can urge people to look backwards in anger, what message does that send to society at large? Calling for “revenge” in the 21st century for centuries-old events is not an exercise in historical awareness, it is a dangerous dog whistle. It risks inciting poor and uneducated youth, already vulnerable to manipulation, to turn their frustration and anger against a minority community that is facing increasing social, political and economic pressure from all sides.While selectively invoking history, Doval conveniently ignores the most recent and devastating chapter of India’s past: British colonialism. It was the British who subjugated India, treated its people like slaves, and systematically looted its wealth, including treasures accumulated over generations. Many of those who benefited from that plunder continue to prosper even today. Yet, there is no call for revenge there.If, instead, the focus is on the Mughal period, intellectual honesty demands a balanced view. The Mughals, like all rulers of their time, had their share of excesses, but they also left behind an extraordinary cultural and architectural legacy. Monuments such as the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and countless others are not only symbols of India’s rich history but also major contributors to its tourism economy. Ironically, the distant descendants of those rulers live in acute poverty, while many Hindu princely families who forged alliances with the Mughals, often through marriage, continue to live in luxury even today.Most importantly, the Muslims of today bear no responsibility for the actions, good or bad, of rulers who lived centuries ago. To suggest otherwise is to promote the dangerous idea of collective guilt – an idea fundamentally incompatible with democracy, constitutional values and justice.At a time when India should be discussing how to move forward economically, scientifically, socially and morally, it is tragic that a senior security official is instead speaking the language of revenge. The role of the NSA should be to unite the nation against real threats, not to divide it by reopening historical wounds.History must be studied to learn and to heal, not weaponised to polarise. When those in positions of authority blur that distinction, the consequences can be disastrous not just for one community, but for the very idea of India itself.Mehbooba Mufti is the leader of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who served as the last chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.