Ethnic conflict in India

[Conflict]] between different ethnicities and religions in India, especially between the dominant Muslim and Hindu populations. Over the last decade, the focal point of Hindu-Muslim conflict has been the site of a Muslim mosque in Ayodhya which was destroyed in 1992.

March 1, 2002

28 people die in continuing violence in Ahmedabad.

Police shoot and kill five while attempting to control rioters.

Hindu rioters with tridents, iron rods, knives and fuel canisters, chanting "Victory to Ram!" set fire to a cement block apartment complex. It again took hours for police or firefighters to arrive. 12 women and girls and 6 men had been burned alive.

February 28, 2002

In retaliation for the previous day's attacks, in Ahmedabad Hindu rioters set fire to about 50 buildings, mostly Muslim-owned, killing more than 60 people.

A Hindu mob of about 2,000 stoned six Muslim-owned homes in Ahmedabad's mostly Hindu neighborhood of Meghaninagar[?] , then poured kerosene on them and set them on fire. Ehsan Jefri[?], a former member of Parliament and Muslim, had tried to scare off the mob when it had reach 200 by firing a gun into the air. He called the police when the mob began setting fire to the homes, including Jefri's. Hindu rioters set up road blockades, so it took the police two hours to reach the site, and fire fighters six hours. By that time 38 people were dead, including at least 12 children. Jefri had been dragged into the street and burned alive.

Curfews go into effect in 30 towns in Gujarat.

February 27, 2002

58 people died in Godhra[?] when a Muslim mob set fire to a carriage on the Sabarmati Express[?] filled with Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists. These activists were returning from Ayodhya, where they had lobbied for the erection of a Hindu temple to Ram on top of the ruins of a Muslim mosque which had been razed in 1992. The train was en route to Ahmedabad. After detaching the burned carriages, the train continued to Vadodara[?], where Hindus beat and stabbed people leaving the train, killing one. A 17-year-old was later killed in Godhra by police trying to disrupt mobs.

1992

Hindus razed a 16th-century Muslim mosque in Ayodhya, sparking nationwide riots between Hindus and Muslims that killed more than 2,000 people.

External links

In India, a Child's Life Is Cheap Indeed, The New York Times, March 7, 2002 (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/07/international/asia/07INDI.html)
After Deadly Firestorm, India Officials Ask Why, The New York Times, March 6, 2002 (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/06/international/asia/06INDI.html)
Hindu Justifies Mass Killings of Muslims in Reprisal Riots, The New York Times, March 5, 2002 (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/05/international/asia/05INDI.html)
India Death Toll Passes 300 in 4th Day of Religious Riots, The New York Times, March 3, 2002 (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/03/international/asia/03INDI.html)
More Than 200 Die in 3 Days of Riots in Western India, The New York Times, March 2, 2002 (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/02/international/asia/02INDI.html)
Hindu Rioters Kill 60 Muslims in India, The New York Times, March 1, 2002 (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/01/international/asia/01INDI.html)
Firebombing of Train Carrying Hindu Activists Kills 57, The New York Times, February 28, 2002 (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/28/international/asia/28INDI.html)