Bombay riots

The Bombay riots took place in Bombay (present-day Mumbai), Maharashtra, India, between December 1992 and January 1993. An estimated 900 people, predominantly Muslims, were killed. The riots were mainly due to escalations of hostilities after large scale protests by Muslims in reaction to the 1992 Babri Masjid Demolition by Hindu Karsevaks in Ayodhya; and by Hindus in regards with the Ram Temple issue. The Shiv Sena, a Hindutva political party in Maharashtra, is said to have organised the riots. A high-ranking member of the special branch later stated that the police were fully aware of the Shiv Sena's capabilities to commit acts of violence, and that they had incited hate against Muslims. Historian Barbara Metcalf has described the riots as an anti-Muslim pogrom, where the official death toll was of 575 Muslims, 275 Hindus and 50 others. The riots were followed by the 1993 Bombay Bombings.