New Delhi, Feb. 6 -- Former Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari, on Friday linked the recent attack at a clothing shop in Kotdwar in Uttarakhand, to rising casteism and language divides, describing them as symptoms of a deeper erosion of national brotherhood across India's diverse regions.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Ansari emphasised that while India's regions differ in language, lifestyle, food habits and customs, from Ladakh in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, a shared sense of citizenship binds the nation together. He warned that neglecting this unifying thread weakens the social fabric.

The Former VP articulated the gravity of the trend. "Casteism is one thing, language is another, and this incident in Uttarakhand - these ...