India, Dec. 21 -- The alleged abuse of Bengali singer Lagnajita Chakraborty by a Muslim man during a live concert in East Midnapore has once again thrown the spotlight on growing tensions around public expressions of Hindu faith in West Bengal, amid a series of incidents this year that have sparked allegations of intimidation, selective policing and shrinking space for religious practices.

Chakraborty's complaint - that she was abused and nearly assaulted for refusing to stop singing a devotional song and instead perform what was demanded as a "secular" number - is being seen by critics as more than an isolated episode. While the accused has been arrested, it has come against the backdrop of controversies involving Saraswati Puja celebra...