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Riots began in India last Wednesday and raged through the weekend. These are only the latest in a history of violent Muslim and Hindu relations that date back to the birth of the country. They are also the culmination of tensions that have been festering since the 1992 razing of a Muslim mosque in Ayodhya.

Official figures put the death toll from the past week at about 600. Unofficial sources claim the dead could number over 1,000.

The widespread riots in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat began as retaliation for the death of at least 57 Hindus aboard a train in the city of Godhra last Wednesday. Approximately 2,500 Hindus were returning to the capital city of Ahmedabad from the site of the razed mosque in Ayodhya.

Upon hearing Hindus chanting inside the train, Muslim townspeople of Godhra attacked with stones and other weapons. Then they set the train on fire. Flames gutted four cars.

Widespread riots and attacks quickly followed the incident. Godhra schools and businesses were closed and a curfew was placed on the city to stem retaliatory violence.

The most serious violence erupted in Ahmedabad, where the train (minus the attacked cars) arrived hours later. Muslims were attacked as they left the train. Shops and buses were set ablaze.

Violence only worsened through Thursday and Friday around Ahmedabad as Hindu activists burned Muslims in their homes, devised elaborate traps to lure them into electrified pools of water, destroyed at least one mosque, and hurled gasoline bombs. Indian army troops were sent into at least three Gujarat towns to end the escalating massacre. The Gujarat police have reportedly detained 3,976 people.

Twenty-six cities and villages reported attacks. Curfews were imposed on at least 50 cities. One civil official told The New York Times, "It's never been like this before; it's the first time I've seen violence like this in rural areas. This is very worrisome."

John Dayal of The All India Christian Council (AICC) told the Associated Press that Christians were also attacked during the violence. He said that rioters torched a Catholic mission in Sanjeli village, attacked two priests with stones, and ransacked a missionary school near Godhra.

According to the article, Hindus comprise more than 80 percent of India's population while Muslims make up 12 percent. Two percent of India's people are Christian.

The roots of the tension
On December 6, 1992, Hindu militants destroyed a 16th-century Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya to replace it with a Hindu temple. The destruction of the mosque led to widespread bloodshed and rioting that left 2,000 dead.

Ayodhya, a city with a history of violence, is mentioned in Hindu scripture and is a place of holy pilgrimage for Hindus, like those attacked on the train last Wednesday. Many believe that the town is the birthplace of a Hindu deity, Rama.

The Ayodhya debate has important political ties within India. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—along with the hardline Vishwa Hindu Parisad (VHP) or the World Hindu Party—was closely involved in an early-'90s push to turn the mosque property over to Hindus. The push resulted in the structure's destruction. In that year's elections, the party emerged as the largest single party in the country. Two years later, the BJP formed a coalition government under current Prime Minister Atal Behal Vajpayee and has held power since.

The dispute over the land where the Mosque once stood has not been settled. Both Muslims and Hindus claim ownership. Vajpayee has attempted to resolve the tensions through peaceful talks and court hearings.

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March (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46