For ages, the relationship between state and religion, more particularly between state and church, has been studied. Nevertheless, thoughts about this relationship have changed. During the Middle Ages, in Europe, the Christian religion determined the position of the state as well as the position of the Church. Religion gave state authorities and state power its legitimacy, and the government was the protector of the Christian faith. Nowadays, religion is no longer that fundamental; the starting points are democracy and the rule of law. The implication is not that the relationship between state and religion can do without attention but in a multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural secular democracy, religion’s role should be limited to the private sphere. Today, it is not easy to preach about secularism in an environment where religious phobia has also given rise to religious hegemony. The Indian constitution does not recognise any religion as the state religion but as per the fundamental rights, all religions are accorded equal status. No single religion can be more equal even if it may have a set of beliefs followed by a majority of the population. The very appeal made by prime minister Narendra Modi to people across India, on March 22, to clap, blow conch shells, beat drums and ring bells to thank the caregivers in the ongoing fight against coronavirus invokes more curiosity than sanity. The Caregivers as it may, are the frontline soldiers against Coronavirus who are currently battling the virus by trying to stop its spread and identifying those infected and other potential carries. Rather than banging of drums or ringing of bells to thank the caregivers, it would have made more sense if the government has concerned itself with providing protective equipments as well as facilities to the caregivers. The government cannot hope to make any impact in improving the status of caregivers simply by banging drums or blowing of conch shells. The caregivers feel tremendous pressure in tackling a ravaging virus which defies containment and treatment. The very idea of beating of drums or ringing of bells may make sense to the adherents of a particular faith but it fails to resonate with scientific reasoning. Such an appeal is understandable if it came from a religious head but certainly strange when it came from the head of the world’s largest democracy and respected for being a scientific community. India is undergoing a significant change. Due to majoritarianism, the space for accommodation and adherence to the principle of lakshman-rekha has been erased. It must be noted that if India is to survive on the strength of its plurality, then there has to be a conscious effort in sticking to the “wall of separation” between democracy and theocracy. This has to be taken seriously not only in theory but in practice as well. This calls for strict bar against all forms of religious signs from public. A prime minister may belong to any particular religion but it is not a sufficient ground for religious symbolisms. Modi has again appealed to citizens to switch off electric lights at 9 pm on Sunday(April 5) for nine minutes, and light candles or diyas, or flash torchlights or mobile lights standing at their doorsteps or balconies. This also has links to a religious practise and in any way, does no credit to it nor the efforts to combat COVID-19.