This chapter seeks to understand the role of specific cognitive and affective factors in understanding negative reciprocity that is central to the escalation of intergroup conflicts. The context used is intergroup conflicts involving Hindus and Muslims in India. It focuses on understanding the factors associated with negative reciprocity, which involves engaging in revengeful or retaliatory behaviour. The three cognitive factors, namely, religious identity, paternalistic relative deprivation (FRD) and relative power, and two negative emotions of anger and hate as affective factors, were used as predictors. A sample of 272 respondents (Hindus = 164; Muslims = 108) participated in the study. The respondents were presented with three scenarios in which members of their group had violated an out-group's norm to which their members had reacted negatively. Respondents were asked about the likelihood of their in-group members engaging in retaliatory action in response to the out-group’s reaction. The three scenarios differed in intensity and levels (individual level to community level). Data were collected online and offline using a survey questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis found that affective factors explained significantly more variance in negative reciprocity in all situations. The felt emotion of hate enhanced the likelihood of engaging in negative reciprocity much more than did the emotion of anger. Among the cognitive factors, relative power raised the likelihood of retaliation, but the religious identity of Muslims, contrary to the formulations of social identity theory (SIT), reduced it in two situations and for Hindus in one situation. The study results are discussed in the context of syncretic cultural context and the present socio-political context of intergroup relations in India.