Communal violence in India might have had its ups and downs, but has never gone away. A whole generation has grown up since the cycle of violence associated with the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute that started in 1990. There were 6,541 incidents of communal clashes between 2001 and 2009, leaving behind 2234 dead and 21460 injured. These are figures put out by the ministry of home affairs, and may well be under-estimates, reports said on September 26. About half of these violent deaths took place in one year, and one state – Gujarat in 2002. Excluding those killed in Gujarat, 1,104 people have been killed in over 5,800 incidents of communal violence since 2001 – that is, an average of 130 lives lost in over 600 violent clashes between religious fanatics, every year running. In addition, there has been the escalation of terror strikes — the hidden bomb, the indiscriminate firing and the like. Since 2001, there have been 28 major bomb blasts taking the lives of 990 people and injuring 2,791 others. This was not there in the 1990s, and lends a dramatic dimension to the activities of religious terrorists.
6,541 COMMUNAL CLASHES BETWEEN DURING A DECADE
Communal violence in India might have had its ups and downs, but has never gone away. A whole generation has grown up since the cycle of violence associated with the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute that started in 1990.
